They Lost Their Punter, But Vikings Are Keeping All-Pro Long Snapper

Andrew DePaola is returning to the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year contract worth $1.725 million, according to Adam Schefter.

DePaola's return to Minnesota couldn't be bigger after punter and holder Ryan Wright bolted for a four-year, $14 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. With DePaola returning, Minnesota keeps two-thirds of its special teams core, with kicker Will Reichard still under contract after his phenomenal 2025 season.

He doesn't get the fanfare that players at skill positions receive, but DePaola is a bona fide stud. The 12-year veteran was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022, 2023, and 2024, while also receiving All-Pro status in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. He was a First Team All-Pro selection in 2022 and 2024, while being named to the Second Team in 2023 and 2025.

His snaps are the first critical step in a successful extra point or field goal attempt. As one of the best in the game, DePaola has made Wright's life as a holder and Reichard's job as the kicker more fluid. With a new punter/holder yet to be signed to the Vikings, DePaola's consistency will carry even more importance in 2026.

Wright's deal was the second big-money punter contract to come across the news feeds on Monday, after the New York Giants signed former Baltimore Ravens punter Jordan Stout to a three-year, $12.3 million deal.

If the Vikings are going to dive into the free agent market, Buffalo's Mitch Wishnowsky and Kansas City's Matt Araiza are two of the top names remaining on the market, though they may come with significant costs now. With the Vikings signing a cornerback on Monday and being relatively tight on cap space, spending big on a free agent punter is likely not at the top of the front office's needs.

Looking at punter prospects, ESPN's Mel Kiper has Georgia's Brett Thorson at the top of his Kickers and Punters big board. Michigan State's Ryan Eckley is listed as Kiper's No. 2 K/P prospect, with Western Michigan's Cole Maynard (No. 6), Syracuse's Jack Stonehouse (No. 8), and Florida's Tommy Doman (No. 10) rounding out Kiper's top 10 kickers and punters.

Using a late-round pick on a punter isn't the worst idea, so long as the punter they draft actually makes the team. The last thing Minnesota needs is another Kaare Vedvik situation. Remember him? Back in August 2019, former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman traded a 2020 fifth-round pick to the Ravens for Vedvik, who had shown ability as a strong-legged kicker and punter.

Fewer than three weeks passed before the Vikings released Vedvik, making it one of the more embarrassing trades in franchise history.