Inside The Vikings

No trade: Vikings release Garrett Bradbury with post-June 1 designation

The Vikings couldn't find a trade, so they've officially released Bradbury after six years as their starting center.

Will Ragatz

Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) during the NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) during the NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. / Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
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The Vikings have officially released center Garrett Bradbury after six seasons, the team announced on Monday.

News broke last Thursday that the Vikings would be releasing Bradbury if they couldn't find a trade partner for the 2019 first-round pick. Given the lack of leverage that comes with such news, it's not particularly surprising that they couldn't work out a deal to land a draft pick. In a vacuum, though, it's a bit odd that the Vikings were able to trade Ed Ingram for a pick but had to release a more proven player in Bradbury.

Notably, this move is designated as a post-June 1 release, according to NFL Network. That means it'll come with $5.25 million in cap savings and $814K in dead money this season, with an additional dead cap charge pushed into 2026. Bradbury's current cap figure will remain on the Vikings' books until June 2, so the added space won't be accessible until that point.

The Vikings' previous regime selected Bradbury with the 18th overall pick out of North Carolina State in the 2019 draft. He started all 92 games he appeared in over the past six seasons. During his Minnesota tenure, Bradbury was great in the run-blocking and communication elements of the center position, but his struggles in pass protection led the Vikings to seek an upgrade this offseason. They signed nine-year Colts starter Ryan Kelly to a two-year deal last week.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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