Report: Vikings land a big fish in edge rusher Jonathan Greenard
The Minnesota Vikings have made a free agency splash as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says they have agreed to terms with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Vikings are giving Greenard a four-year deal worth $76 million, including $42 million guaranteed.
Greenard profiles as a big fish signing and could indicate that Danielle Hunter will not return to the Vikings in 2024.
Here's what Purple Insider's Matthew Coller wrote about Greenard last week.
This free agency class has a number of intriguing edge rushers and Greenard as at the top of that list. He picked up 12.5 sacks in his first year getting full-time reps and put together a pass rush win rate similar to Brian Burns and Montez Sweat. He was also serviceable against the run, which makes him a candidate to impact every down rather than being one dimensional. The Vikings are in need of full-time players on the edge with the likelihood that Danielle Hunter will not be returning.
The only concern about Greenard is that he doesn’t have a big sample size of success in the past and is estimated by PFF around $18 million per year. But he still hasn’t turned 27 years old yet so a long-term contract would make sense.
Greenard, a 26-year-old who was a third-round pick by the Texans in 2020, had 12.5 sacks in 2023. The only other year he was a full-time starter was 2021 and when he had 8.5 sacks in 12 starts.
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