The Minnesota Vikings dealt with significant salary cap issues, resulting in the team saying goodbye to some really good talent in 2025.
Arguably, the biggest departure from the Vikings was their trading Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for two third-round picks. That's a move that Sports Illustrated writer Eva Geitheim
believes Minnesota could be haunted by if it works out for the Eagles and not for them.
"With Jonathan Greenard wanting a new contract the Vikings couldn’t afford, they decided to trade him to the Eagles during the draft. The move is a risk for the Vikings, who acknowledged that they are a worse team without him. While Greenard notched just three sacks in 2025, he had 12-plus sacks in each of the prior two seasons. Now, the Vikings will be overly reliant on third-year edge Dallas Turner, a player looking to break out this season.Â
Even if trading Greenard was necessary, dealing good players to the Eagles is never the right move, especially for a Vikings team that wants to contend this season."
The Minnesota Vikings better hope they didn't make a mistake by trading Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles
From the Vikings' perspective, if they paid Greenard $25 million per year like he's getting in Philly, that would set the franchise back from doing anything. They need to prepare to spend a lot of money on a quarterback next offseason, whether that's Kyler Murray or someone else.
Minnesota already has two really good edge rushers who are cheaper and can replace Greenard right now. Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel are more than capable of getting the job done, only costing the Vikings $23.5 million in 2026.
Greenard had injury concerns last season and did not play like the guy who racked up at least 12 sacks in each of the previous two seasons. The Vikings need guys who are available and affordable so they can make moves for the future.
On the other side, if Turner ends up playing like he did in his rookie season and doesn't live up to expectations, that becomes the first problem in the equation. Also, the Vikings need to make sure they hit on their third-round picks from the Eagles. Minnesota selected safety Jakobe Thomas this year with Philly's 98th overall pick.
The Vikings are hoping that they hit all the right notes with moving on from Greenard, but if it backfires, it will be on new general manager Nolan Teasley to fix the mistakes of the past.
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