Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings are currently in talks to trade a Pro Bowl pass-rusher, but there is a unique needle the team might try to thread that wouldn’t just send Jonathan Greenard out the door, but would bring back an upgrade in the process.
Greenard wants a new deal, reportedly in the neighborhood of $120 million over four years to mimic what the Carolina Panthers awarded the less accomplished Jaelan Phillips this offseason. Minnesota began shopping Greenard after that request, presumably in the hopes of clearing around $12 million in salary cap space for 2026 and getting a Day 2 draft pick in return.
The Vikings can afford to do this because of the presence of Dallas Turner on the roster as their No. 3 edge-rusher over the past two years. The former first-round pick can elevate into a starting role alongside Andrew Van Ginkel and replace Greenard.
That is the safe path forward, even if it hurts the team’s depth off the edge in 2026. Its bigger needs exist in the secondary at safety and cornerback, and Minnesota can address the former by selecting Dillon Thieneman out of Oregon with its first pick at No. 18 in Round 1. The team can then try to find some talent at CB in late-stage free agency or perhaps with a value trade somewhere.
From an outsider’s perspective, that is Minnesota’s plan and it is a sensible one. But another school of thought is that the best way to protect a weak secondary is by fielding an elite pass rush.
If longtime safety Harrison Smith decides to return rather than retire, the Vikings could repurpose their first-round pick and Greenard in a trade with the Browns for superstar edge defender Myles Garrett.
Myles Garrett Serious Topic of Trade Discussion Around NFL
Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns could be a trade target of the Cowboys.
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
Ever since the Cleveland Browns and Garrett reworked his contract to make trading the reigning Defensive Player of the Year simpler in each of the next several offseasons, including this one, analysts have mentioned roughly half the league as potential suitors for the DE. The Vikings, however, have not been among those teams.
Mina Kimes and Mike Golic Jr. combed through all 32 franchises and discussed the personnel needs of each on Kimes’ most recent podcast. Both agreed that the secondary is the primary point of weakness on Minnesota’s roster, with Golic also mentioning the interior of the defensive line.
Kimes noted that pass-rusher isn’t an issue unless the team decides to move Greenard and doesn’t get another player to replace him in return. Thus, trading Greenard would create a depth issue, with Van Ginkel only under contract through next season.
Myles Garrett Could Anchor Browns’ Edge-Rush Group for Next 5 Years
Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns
In that scenario, a trade between Minnesota and Cleveland involving Greenard, the No. 18 overall pick and one other draft asset, likely a first-rounder in 2027, in exchange for Garrett could make sense on both sides of the equation.
A trio of Garrett, Van Ginkel and Turner would render the Vikings’ pass rush one of the higher-end groups in 2026, while Garrett and Turner could provide a strong base in the position group for years to come.
And if Smith comes back for another season to join the safeties already on the roster, such as Jay Ward, cornerback is really the only major concern on Minnesota’s roster — and the Vikings would still have pick Nos. 49, 82 and 97 to address it.
Meanwhile, Cleveleand would get two first-round picks, giving the team three assets in Round 1 next month, as well as a ready-made replacement for Garrett.