After another season in which Garrett Bradbury ranked among the worst centers in the NFL as a pass-blocker, some Minnesota Vikings fans are ready to move on from the starting offensive lineman this year.
But based on some recent comments made by Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, it doesn't sound like the team is ready to move on from Bradbury quite yet.
When speaking at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine earlier this week, O'Connell was asked about possibly replacing some of Minnesota's interior offensive linemen this offseason, and the head coach shared the following answer.
"The replace word, I don’t know if I would necessarily use that. It was more just an emphasis on how I believe we need to play, and we need to be able to have a level of execution and a level of physicality that holds up over 17 games. Then as we learned this year, after playing well in December, which was a goal of ours, we got to find a way to get back in the dancing and put our best foot forward in January."
Garrett Bradbury seems more likely to remain with the Minnesota Vikings after Kevin O'Connell's comments
The fact that O'Connell felt the need to make it known to the reporter who asked him the question that the Vikings aren't exactly looking to replace the current group of interior offensive linemen they have on their roster is something that stands out significantly.
Bradbury has been with Minnesota during O'Connell's entire tenure with the franchise, and the head coach might be hesitant to move on from the veteran center as the team transitions to making J.J. McCarthy the Vikings starting quarterback.
Instead of attempting to enter the 2025 season with two new starters at the quarterback and center positions, O'Connell would probably prefer to keep Bradbury around for at least McCarthy's first year as a starter in Minnesota.
Bradbury's contract with the Vikings is currently scheduled to expire in 2026, so if he continues to struggle as a pass blocker next season, then the team can just simply decide not to re-sign him after the 2025 campaign.
Minnesota still might add some competition for the veteran center this offseason, but it would be surprising if they made a significant investment in a potential replacement for Bradbury this year. More than likely, the Vikings will head into training camp with a group of centers that consists of Bradbury, 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens, and maybe an undrafted rookie.
Unfortunately, for the Minnesota fans who were hoping the team would move on from Bradbury this offseason, that dream seems like it will probably have to be put on hold for at least one more year.