An interesting offseason story that Minnesota Vikings fans have been tracking over the last few months is what the team plans to do with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.
There has been speculation that Greenard was a trade candidate for the Vikings, with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts being named as potential partners in a trade. On Monday, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with reporters after the first day of their offseason program, where he had to address how things were going with Greenard.
"I had a conversation with him last week. We're trying to keep our conversations and dialogue going. I have such a good relationship with Jonathan. He's been so impactful on me personally.
[He's] one of our leaders. He knows exactly how I feel about him, how we feel about him as an organization, and I'll continue to have that ongoing dialogue."
Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard has been the subject of potential trade talks
It is worth noting that Greenard did not attend the voluntary offseason program, and there is no word on whether he will join the team. ESPN's Kevin Seifert shared that Greenard took to Instagram to explain that his absence was due to his wedding anniversary.
There's a lot of talk about Greenard going into the offseason program after ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Monday that the Eagles were in talks with the Vikings for a Greenard trade during the 2026 NFL Draft.
Greenard is currently in the third year of his four-year, $76 million contract extension. The Vikings are facing a cap hit of $22 million in each of the next two years in 2026 and 2027. Minnesota will save $12.2 million if they decide to trade Greenard before June 1.
The media reports have been mixed on whether the Vikings want to keep Greenard on the team or move on from him. There might be concerns regarding his left shoulder injury that cost him the last few games of last season.
In 12 games, he racked up 38 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, and three sacks, which is the lowest number of sacks in Greenard's career when he plays at least 12 games. It was a surprise to see the dip after coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2024.
Anything could happen in the days leading up to the draft, as the Vikings would want a Day 2 pick for Greenard. Whether they will get that, or even consider a trade, is another question fans won't know until the draft.
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