Kevin Seifert
Multiple Authors
PHOENIX — Amid trade rumors that began swirling earlier this offseason, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday that he is planning for linebacker Jonathan Greenard to be on the roster this season.
While speaking with reporters at the annual league meeting, O’Connell left the door slightly ajar for a future move. But for now, O’Connell said: “Yeah, I expect him to be part of our team. I know there’s always conversations. There’s conversations this week. There’s conversations throughout the offseason, and we’ll continue to kind of attack things at the different phases. We’re getting ready to really jump heavily into draft meetings when we get back. But at the same time, we’re always going to try to do what’s best for our team and also what we think is best for each one of our individual players. And that’s an ongoing thing throughout every offseason.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported March 3 that the Vikings were open to trading Greenard as they worked through a salary cap deficit. The Vikings made other moves to trim nearly $50 million from their 2026 cap total, but Greenard’s $19 million salary for this season sits in a tier below the league’s top pass rushers.
Until an adjustment occurs, a trade is possible if the Vikings are intrigued enough by an offer. Otherwise, the Vikings want Greenard to be part of a dynamic group of outside linebackers that includes veteran Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner, a 2024 first-round draft pick.
Greenard spent the first four years of his career with the Houston Texans before signing with the Vikings. He recorded 12½ sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2024 but was slowed by a shoulder injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery in 2025. Although he managed only three sacks in 12 games last season, his pressure rate of 13.5% ranked No. 7 in the NFL.
In other Vikings news:
• O’Connell said the team is still awaiting a final decision from safety Harrison Smith, who is mulling retirement. The Vikings designated Smith as a post-June 1 release earlier this month but will welcome him back if he wants to keep playing. “He knows how I feel about him, how we feel about him. But we also want to be respectful and give him space to kind of continue to figure out what he wants to do.”
• Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has returned to Minnesota after spending the early part of the offseason training in California, O’Connell said. “I think J.J.’s had a really good offseason,” O’Connell said. “I think he’s got perspective now.”
• O’Connell said the Vikings plan to make center the permanent position for longtime backup Blake Brandel, making him the early front-runner for the job that was vacated by Ryan Kelly’s retirement.
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