On Monday, the Minnesota Vikings announced that veteran linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has officially signed his restricted free agent contract. Now, Pace is set to return to the Vikings for a fourth year, and after a 2025 season that likely humbled him quite significantly.
Excitement surrounded the 25-year-old linebacker when he earned a spot on Minnesota's starting defense as an undrafted rookie in 2023. Pace went on to start a total of 22 games in his first two seasons with the Vikings (including the playoffs), and it seemed like he was only going to continue to get better as time moved forward.
However, things headed in the wrong direction for the young Minnesota linebacker last year. Despite appearing in all 17 of the Vikings' games last season, Pace only started six, and he saw his defensive snap rate drop all the way to 30 percent after being above 59 percent in both 2023 and 2024.
His decline in involvement on the defensive side of the ball last year happened for multiple reasons, but he's now been given another chance by Minnesota to see if he can get back to performing closer to the player he was in his first two seasons with the franchise.
Minnesota Vikings give LB Ivan Pace Jr. another shot after disappointing 2025 season
As an undrafted rookie, Pace was one of the Vikings' few bright spots for a 2023 team that fell well short of expectations.
In his first year with Minnesota, he finished fourth on the team in tackles with 102, in addition to racking up 10 pressures, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Pace's rookie performance in 2023 resulted in him ending up with the second-best PFF defensive grade on the entire Vikings roster that season.
Hope was high for the young linebacker entering his second year with Minnesota, but unfortunately, his performance began to trend in the wrong direction in 2024.
Pace still put up solid numbers in the 2024 season with the Vikings, as he finished with 72 tackles, 11 pressures, and three sacks in 11 games. But compared to his rookie campaign, his missed tackle rate increased by almost five percent, and he was atrocious in pass coverage.
In 2023, Pace only allowed 5.7 yards per reception when in pass coverage, and opposing quarterbacks only had a rating of 75.9 when throwing the ball in his direction. In 2024, those numbers exploded to 12.2 yards allowed per catch and a 117.2 passer rating allowed when targeted.
Much of the same took place on the field for Pace last season, and ultimately, it resulted in him being replaced in the starting lineup by Eric Wilson.
Wilson took full advantage of his increase in opportunities, and he earned a new, lucrative contract from the Vikings earlier this offseason as a result of it.
Pace, on the other hand, spent most of his time on the field on special teams in 2025, and he didn't exactly light it up, as his PFF special teams grade ranked 52nd out of 57 Minnesota players last season.
With Wilson back, Pace will likely spend a bunch of time on special teams again in 2026. He'll also probably be called upon to start at some point next season if Wilson or Blake Cashman are unable to play due to injury.
Will Pace use his 2025 season as motivation to prove people wrong in 2026 when he gets back on the field, or will it be more of the same from a guy who hasn't ever been able to duplicate the unexpected success he had as a rookie with the Vikings?
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