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.
A splash in Minnesota: The #Vikings are signing edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 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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