With the new league year set to officially begin this Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, the Minnesota Vikings had to make a decision whether to tender restricted free agent linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. or let the 25-year-old hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
And it appears that decision has finally been made, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning that the Vikings have placed the low tender (aka the right-of-first-refusal tender) on the three-year veteran, which carries a $3.52 million salary for the 2026 campaign.
Vikings are using the low tender on restricted free agent LB Ivan Pace.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2026
What this means is that any team can now sign Pace to an offer sheet, but Minnesota has the right to match it. If the Vikes decline to do so, however, this particular tender doesn't offer any type of draft compensation, not that any such compensation was ever going to be on the table for a player of Pace's caliber.
Even so, one wouldn't expect the Vikings to match any offer that comes Pace's way unless it's close to the aforementioned $3.52 million they're set to pay him if no other team shows any interest.
Minnesota Vikings don't seem likely to match any offer for Ivan Pace Jr.
Undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2023, Pace signed with Minnesota as a free agent, and not only did he make the 53-man roster as a rookie, but he ultimately started 11 games, recording 102 total tackles, nine QB hits, 2.5 sacks, two passes defended, and a forced fumble.
His 77.1 overall PFF grade ranked 17th among 83 qualifying linebackers that season, with his 77.7 coverage grade ranking 12th and his 78.0 coverage grade ranking 11th.
Pace's 2024 campaign wasn't quite as strong from an overall standpoint, in part due to the fact that he missed six games due to ankle and hamstring injuries, but his 85.4 run-defense grade ranked ninth among 83 eligible LBs, and his 89.1 pass-rush grade ranked third.
That said, though, his coverage grade took a massive hit, with his 29.8 mark ranking 82nd after he allowed an 82.1 percent completion rate and a 115.6 passer rating on passes thrown in his direction.
And this past season, pretty much every facet of Pace's game went downhill, which ultimately led to him being benched in favor of veteran Eric Wilson, whom the Vikings signed to a new three-year, $22.5 million deal late Sunday night.
From Week 6 on, Pace never took more than 20 defensive snaps in any game, spending much more of his time on special teams. So, again, if another team signs him to an offer sheet, one could easily assume that the Vikings will opt not to match it.