The Minnesota Vikings have retooled in the trenches this offseason, but they made sure to secure promising defensive lineman Jalen Redmond.
Redmond, who began his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, is coming off his second season with the Vikings. He certainly made his presence felt, and figures to have an even bigger role this coming season.
That is good news for him and the Vikings, and bad for opposing offensive lines.
Vikings Reach Deal With Jalen Redmond in Free Agency
GettyJalen Redmond #61 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on against the Dallas Cowboys.
“Vikings re-signed ERFA DE Jalen Redmond,” Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer reported in a post on X on April 14.
The Vikings confirmed the news shortly after with a post of their own.
Redmond, 27, set career-highs with 62 total tackles, 12 stops for loss, 6.0 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble. He ranked second in the NFL in splash plays, per Pro Football Sports Network in February.
He also started 15 games and played in all 17 contests for the Vikings.
Only five Vikings players started more games in 2025 than Redmond. Fellow defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was one of them, but the Vikings cut him this offseason.
The Vikings are already asking a lot of Redmond. He logged the second-highest snap share among their defensive linemen, behind only Allen, and was sixth on the defense overall, per Pro Football Reference.
Redmond’s signing the tender is more procedural than anything.
Vikings Follow Through on Plan With Impressive D-Lineman
GettyJalen Redmond #61 of the Minnesota Vikings tackles Tyrone Tracy Jr. #29 of the New York Giants.
This was not a surprising outcome. The Vikings placed the exclusive rights tender on Redmond, one of several players around the NFL who received a performance-based bonus, in March.
He was never signing with another team, barring the Vikings reversing course.
“Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract,” the NFL’s Football Operations Portal states, explaining ERFAs. “If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.”
Redmond seemed primed for some kind of new deal with the Vikings, with the UFL saying in a post on X in November 2025 that the former Arlington Renegades (who now play in Dallas) had been a “FORCE all season.”
The Vikings’ run defense fell off last season, ranking 21st after being the second-best unit in 2024.
Their pass D remained strong, ranking second overall and tying for the fourth-most sacks.
Redmond was fourth in sacks for the 2025 Vikings, who did not have a player who hit double-digits among them. Standing out amid that kind of group effort speaks volumes about the kind of player that Redmond is.
Jalen Redmond Still Faces Uncertain Future
GettyCaedan Wallace #70 of the New England Patriots and Jalen Redmond #61 of the Minnesota Vikings participate in a drill during training camp.
The next question the Vikings face is whether they should lock Redmond up long-term. He will be a restricted free agent next offseason.
That is “a player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract.”
“RFAs are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them one of various qualifying offers (‘tenders’) that come with the Right of First Refusal and/or draft-pick compensation,” according to the Portal. “These amounts change annually but the following numbers are for the 2026 season (players can choose either (a) or (b) regardless of which is greater in the applicable tenders below).”
Redmond will be heading into his Age-28 season in 2027, which should still be the thick of his athletic prime, but potentially stuck in a year-to-year cycle, be it with the Vikings or another organization.
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