Yet, for whatever reason, there’s been zero reported interest in the best center on the free agency market. That’s former Cleveland Brown, JC Tretter. On Thursday morning, Tretter announced his retirement in an interview with Sports Illustrated. Not because he wanted to retire, but because nobody wanted him.

Vikings Leave Tretter on ‘Read’

Tretter told Sports Illustrated that the Minnesota Vikings were one of the few teams on his short list of potential employers. So, Tretter’s agent called the Vikings to gauge interest. When nobody at TCO Performance Center returned that phone call, he had his answer.

Tretter hit free agency intending to return for a 10th campaign before retiring. His “short list” of dream destinations was topped by the Panthers, as he has a longstanding relationship with offensive line coach James Campen; the Cowboys, “because I feel like if you’re going to play one last year, that environment would be fun”; and the Vikings, because he cheered for them as a child and “wanted to put a bow on my childhood.” But, Tretter says, none of the seven teams that his camp contacted reciprocated his interest. “Minnesota never returned our call,” he says. – JC Tretter (Sports Illustrated)

Why would the Minnesota Vikings, who are desperate for an upgrade at center, leave their best upgrade option on ‘read’? JC Tretter was one of the best centers in football last year, according to PFF. And he’s been a top-tier o-lineman since joining the Browns back in 2017.

Why not JC Tretter?

But, he struggled with knee injuries throughout the 2020 and 2021 seasons. So that must have been why teams were hesitant to sign him, right? Well, Tretter whole-heartedly denies that. He claims his knee is “fully healed”. In this interview with SI, he said the knee healed itself by week 8 of the 2021 season and hasn’t needed draining since.

The teams he contacted, in free agency, never even requested an updated MRI or physical report, to check his knee. Because, according to Tretter, the radio silence had nothing to do with physical injury or the salary he was seeking. Nope. JC Tretter believes the NFL is shunning him because of his status as (a bullish) NFLPA President.

In Tretter’s estimation, finding the reason for this radio silence isn’t difficult. He describes his salary requests as modest, “not at a vet minimum” but “well below the value I bring.” He says his right knee is “fully ready” for game action, having healed itself of the swelling issue by Week 8 last season and requiring no more draining for the rest of the season. Plus, Tretter adds, no club has so much as requested an MRI or a physical to inspect it. This despite Pro Football Focus ranking him as the league’s fifth-best center entering this season. – JC Tretter (via Alex Pruitt – Sports Illustrated)

There you have it. If you take JC Tretter at his word, the NFL black-balled him because of his fierce nature as NFLPA President. Meaning, the Minnesota Vikings may not have even been allowed to return JC’s original phone call. And given how desperate Kwesi is to replace Garrett Bradbury, you’d have to imagine they wanted to.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Instead, Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith, Patrick Peterson and Dalvin Cook are all returning. They added some pieces, most significantly Za’Darius Smith opposite of Danielle Hunter. In all reality, the (8-9) non-playoff Vikings from 2021 are running it back in 2022.

Upgrade available

But what if the Vikings could replace Garrett Bradbury, possibly the weakest link remaining on the roster, with a top-5 NFL center? Because, it might be our lucky offseason. Former Brown and Packer, JC Tretter, is still on the market and, according to Phil Mackey (SKOR North), he has the Minnesota Vikings on his short list of teams he’d sign with (scrub to 4:45 mark).

“I am reporting this. Just to be clear. I am entering the ‘Big J’ journalism realm for about 15 seconds, here. I am told reliably, by somebody who would know, that JC Tretter has a very short list of teams he would play for on his next contract. The Vikings are on that short list. It’s essentially up to the Vikings, whether they want to offer him a legitimate contract.”

Phil Mackey (SKOR North)

How much of an upgrade would JC Tretter be over Garrett Bradbury? Is there a big upgrade in natural light from night to day? Because, if JC Tretter is healthy enough to play, that’s how different life would be for Kirk Cousins in the pocket on Sundays (or Mondays or Thursdays). Night and day.

How much better is Tretter than Bradbury?

Tretter’s 78.7 overall PFF grade ranked 6th among NFL centers in 2021. His 83.7 pass block grade ranked 2nd. Bradbury’s 60.2 overall grade ranked 29th. His 43.7 pass block grade ranked 47th among centers. Tretter allowed 10 pressures last season, Bradbury allowed 29. JC Tretter is, and has been, one of the best interior offensive linemen in the league.

Which team should sign JC Tretter? pic.twitter.com/mQCFksjRMO

— PFF (@PFF) March 17, 2022

A lot has been said about JC Tretter’s injury issues. He didn’t practice at all last season. But, Tretter showed up on Sunday. He played all 18 games for the Browns in 2021 and totaled 1,039 snaps. Garrett Bradbury played just 13 games and logged 883 snaps.

Mark and Zigi Wilf hope that Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman were holding this team back. They’re banking on Kwesi and Kevin accounting for 2+ wins over their predecessors. That’s a lot to ask.

Money Talks

If JC Tretter really wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings and he’s willing to sign a realistic contract. Can Kwesi and Co. afford him? A fully healthy Tretter in his prime is worth far north of $10 million per season on today’s market. That type of money would probably be a deal breaker.

But if JC drops his ask under $9 million per season, due to his age (31) and inability to practice because of knee injuries, then the Vikings could absolutely find a way to land him. According to Spotrac.com, Kwesi has $9.3 million in current cap space.

Eric and Brandon dug deep into the JC Tretter conversation on Thursday night’s MSF Podcast (Ep 71).

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan