The Minnesota Vikings will have to again find creative ways to win on defense this season, which might mean the end for a fan favorite in Minneapolis.
Inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. is back with the Vikings on a one-year deal worth $3.5 million following the end of his three-year contract this spring. The former undrafted free agent burst onto the NFL scene in 2023, but his production and field time have decreased with each passing season.
Then, in late July, Minnesota added former three-time All-Pro safety Jamal Adams on a $1.4 million value contract after a strong and healthy season at the linebacker position with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. Adams played linebacker on a regular basis for the first time in his nine-year professional career last year, and that is likely the spot at which the Vikings intend to use him.
Given that, coupled with the fact that Minnesota can cut Pace with no financial penalty in the form of a dead salary cap hit, the 27-game starter (45 appearances total) could see his time with the franchise end before the team announces its initial 53-man roster at the end of August.
Ivan Pace’s Stock Dropping as Vikings’ Training Camp Ramps Up
GettyLinebacker Ivan Pace Jr. of the Minnesota Vikings.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic named Pace as one player on the Vikings’ preseason roster whose arrow is pointing downward as the second week of training camp began on Monday, August 3.
Three years ago, Pace was the belle of the training camp ball. Flores tossed him into snaps with the starters, and Pace ducked his way underneath blockers with reckless abandon.
His positives, however, often come with positioning in the wrong gaps and a lack of reliability in coverage. That’s why his defensive snaps have diminished each year. He played 706 defensive snaps in 2023 and 323 in 2025. Bringing in versatile defender Jamal Adams means infusing the roster with another blitz-capable body who may push Pace for one of the team’s final roster spots.
Harrison Smith Retirement, Jake Golday Position Change Could Help Ivan Pace Remain With Vikings
GettyMinnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith.
A couple sets of circumstances that could potentially play out might end with Pace still on the roster.
Were safety Harrison Smith choose to retire, which he has not done yet, Minnesota might consider pushing Adams to the secondary and keep Pace in the middle as an inside linebacker. However, Kevin Seifert of ESPN wrote on July 27 that such an outcome is unlikely.
“For those asking about a connection to Harrison Smith’s future, remember that [Adams] was a linebacker — not a safety — last year for Las Vegas,” Seifert wrote on X.
There is also a possibility that the Vikings kick second-round pick and former collegiate defensive end Jake Golday to the outside linebacker position, which is better encapsulated positionally by the term edge-rusher.
Minnesota is thin off the edge behind starters Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel, with two undrafted free agents Bo Richter (2024) and Chaz Chambliss (2025) occupying the top two reserve spots.
If the Vikings don’t add a veteran pass-rusher in free agency and Golday’s move to the outside is permanent, that could open up a roster spot for Pace, even if Adams sticks at the inside linebacker position.
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