6 Vikings who could be looking for a new home in 2022

Garrett Bradbury – C

Garrett Bradbury’s status with the Vikings in 2022 was already a bit uncertain, but his absence during the last two weeks has added to the speculation surrounding his future since his replacement has outperformed him.

Bradbury missed Minnesota’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week and their Week 9 loss in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens after he was placed on the Vikings’ Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Filling in for Minnesota’s starting center has been Mason Cole, and while he hasn’t performed at an All-Pro level or anything like that, there has been a noticeable improvement with him on the field compared to Bradbury.

The problem for the Vikings is Bradbury’s contract. The only way they can free up cap space by getting rid of him in 2022 is by finding someone who is willing to trade for him. A straight-up release won’t result in any sort of cap penalty, but it doesn’t create any cap space, and it would just leave Minnesota with a little over $4 million in dead cap.

If the Vikings can find a trade partner for the former first-round pick, then maybe they will be able to move on from him next year. Otherwise, Minnesota might just be stuck with him in 2022.