As the start of the new league year approaches, the Minnesota Vikings have a lot of work to do to get under the salary cap. Some reported moves will become official when they can be official, but there is still work to do on that front.
With that in mind, ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported the Vikings are open to trading veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. Schefter's colleague, Jeremy Fowler, then reported the Vikings are believed to want a Day 2 draft pick in a trade.
After tallying 12 sacks and earning his first career Pro Bowl selection in his first year as a Viking, Greenard missed five games last season and finished with just three sacks.
But he has so many near-misses on sacks it almost became a joke, and his top-20 pass rush win rate among edge rushers with at least 125 pass rush snaps (16.6 percent, according to Pro Football Focus) proves he was still quite good at putting heat on the quarterback.
Schefter noted how the Vikings don't necessarily want to trade Greenard, but salary cap issues are forcing their hand. As could be expected, according to Seahawks' reporter Corbin K. Smith, "half the league" has shown interest.
Re: Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard... I'm told by a reporter with inside knowledge of the team that Minnesota has received inquiries from "half the league," including #Seahawks.
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) March 5, 2026
He's going to be in demand, but sounds like a second rounder and Day 3 pick is sweet spot.
Adam Schefter affirms harsh Jonathan Greenard reality for the Minnesota Vikings
Appearing on Thursday's edition of "The Pat McAfee Show", in light of his initial report, Schefter was asked about the likelihood of the Vikings trading Greenard.
"Think that there's a case where I don't think the Vikings really want to deal him, but it's one of those cases where, if there's a team that offers enough to go get him, and I think it would be a day two pick, so a second or a third, I think Minnesota, because of the financial questions and issues there, is gonna have to consider
My guess is, in the end, when these things usually happen, when you hear about a player that a team is open to trading, when there have been discussions, when that happens like usually a trade happens, so I would say it's probably more likely than not, but Minnesota knows how good he is, and I can tell you, isn't going to be thrilled about giving him up."
Trading Greenard would clear $12.25 million in cap space for the Vikings, with the remaining $9.9 million of his 2026 cap hit left as dead money. $4 million of his base salary becomes guaranteed on March 13, so there is some urgency to get a trade done if it's going to happen.
The failure of last offseason's spending spree by the Vikings was always going to yield some drastic fallout this offseason. Greenard's status as a prime trade candidate has been subject to a level of speculation, but now it has become a harsh residual reality of a tough situation brought on by a failed plan.