Minnesota Vikings Fail to Find Trade Partner for Former 1st Round Pick

The new league year isn’t even a week old yet and the Minnesota Vikings have already had one of the best and most productive offseasons in franchise history.

Since NFL free agency officially began on Wednesday, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has signed two interior offensive line starters, two interior defensive line starters and re-signed their two highest defensive back priorities. Running back questions have also been answered, as have depth problems at linebacker.

Unfortunately you can’t keep everyone. That’s proven true for the Vikings, who have been forced to let plenty of talent walk out the door for very little in return. They failed to find a trade partner for QB Sam Darnold, who hit it (somewhat) big in free agency, signing a 3-year, $100 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

Cam Bynum left via free agency, as well. So did current top remaining free agent Cam Robinson and Johnny Mundt, among others. Then last week, the Vikings traded right guard Ed Ingram for a 6th round pick, then flipped that pick to the 49ers for running back, Jordan Mason.

Minnesota Vikings releasing center Garrett Bradbury

Unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings could not do the same thing for 2019 No. 18 overall pick, center Garrett Bradbury. Thus, the team announced Monday that they are releasing the 29-year-old, 6-year starter with a post-June 1 designation, which allows Kwesi to spread out Bradbury’s $2.4M dead cap penalty over the next two seasons, instead of taking it all on in 2025.

We have released C Garrett Bradbury.

We're appreciative of everything Garrett did in his six seasons in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/NTxHTEc1QC

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 17, 2025

Garrett Bradbury started all 88 games he played on the Minnesota Vikings offensive line, but he never reached the mid-first round potential he was drafted to be, which at the center position, should be annual All-Pro selections. Instead, Bradbury failed to even make a Pro Bowl while snapping footballs in purple.

Related: Minnesota Vikings in Contact with Another Veteran QB

As PFF helps prove, Garrett Bradbury is a much better run blocker than he is a pass blocker, something that continually showed itself during his six seasons with the MN Vikings, posting a 65.5 run block grade or higher ever season since he was a rookie. Unfortunately, his pass block grades spent more time in the thirties and forties, than it did above 55…