3 free agent do-overs for the Vikings from 2023

Do-over No. 3

Don't re-sign center Garrett Bradbury

It's not often that a team brings back a player after declining their fifth-year option, but that's exactly what the Vikings did with center Garrett Bradbury. After three seasons of mediocre play, Minnesota opted against picking up Bradbury's fifth-year contract option in 2021.

But then, in a contract year, under a new head coach in Kevin O'Connell, Bradbury finally took some steps in the right direction. He made some strides during his first season in O'Connell's offense, but he still struggled as a pass protector, finishing with the 25th-best pass-blocking grade from PFF in 2022 out of 37 qualifying centers.

Still, it didn't seem like Bradbury had done enough last season to earn a second contract from the Vikings. But apparently, he did.

Minnesota re-signed Bradbury to a three-year contract worth $15.75 million. If they wanted to, the Vikings could have either found a center with a similar skill-set that was much more affordable, or they could have selected a new center in this year's NFL Draft.

They did neither, and now Minnesota is stuck with a starting offensive lineman who allowed the third-most pressures among NFL centers in 2022.