After June 1st, when the Minnesota Vikings’ salary cap freed up just a bit, some onlookers decided the club could use another pass rusher for the 2026 campaign, especially because Jonathan Greenard left in April via trade to the Philadelphia Eagles. And according to ESPN, that man should be outside linebacker Haason Reddick — a former Eagle.

Reddick is available on the open market, and Minnesota has about $13 million, so ESPN said why not this week.

Vikings’ Roster Has Room for One More EDGE

ESPN: Vikings Should Sign Reddick

Aaron Schatz of ESPN revealed one roster move each team should explore this week, and Reddick to Minnesota was included.

“Another NFC North team, another questionable depth chart on the edge. The issue here is not Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel but rather the players behind them, led by 2025 fifth-round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and 2024 undrafted free agent Bo Richter,” Schatz wrote.

“Reddick had only 2.5 sacks last season, the lowest of the three best available veteran pass rushers, but his 12% pass rush win rate was still impressive: similar to the Chargers’ Tuli Tuipulotu and just ahead of the Steelers’ T.J. Watt.”

It’s worth noting that Reddick was a teammate of Kyler Murray, the Vikings’ main offseason addition, in 2019 and 2020 when Murray’s career got off the ground.

Schatz added, “Reddick’s history of playing in flexible 3-4 defenses makes him the best fit for defensive coordinator Brian Flores because he has more experience dropping into coverage on complicated zone blitzes.”

Reddick’s Background

Reddick has essentially had two distinct NFL careers. Initially, as the 13th overall pick, he struggled to find his footing in Arizona. However, he later transformed into one of the league’s most formidable pass rushers.

His career statistics highlight this evolution: 137 games, 95 starts, 455 tackles, 77 tackles for loss, 108 QB hits, 61.5 sacks, 21 deflected passes, 18 forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. His peak performance years were just fantastic — no exaggeration. Between 2020 and 2023, Reddick recorded 12.5, 11.0, 16.0, and 11.0 sacks, earned two Pro Bowl selections, and was named 2nd-Team All-Pro in 2022.

The 2022 Eagles season was particularly noteworthy: 49 tackles, 16 sacks, 26 QB hits, and five forced fumbles, placing him firmly in contention for Defensive Player of the Year.

More recently, his performance has declined. His 2024 tenure with the Jets was brief and unproductive, and in 2025 with Tampa Bay, he managed only 2.5 sacks in 13 games. While Pro Football Focus still rated his pass rush as decent, his run defense and tackling grades were significantly lower.

That raises the question: does Reddick have one more year as a premier pass-rushing specialist? His past achievements suggest yes, but his recent output warrants caution. Thankfully, Minnesota would really only need him for a year or two in a “just in case” capacity.

The OLB Situation with Reddick and Price

Let’s pretend for a moment that ESPN nailed this thing, and Minnesota signs Reddick.

The 2026 EDGE room would look like this:

Reddick — or any credible pass rusher — would fit beautifully between Turner and Richter. That’s just how the lay of the land works with Greenard playing for the Eagles.

Think of it this way: while the Vikings might be just fine with the group as-is, if Van Ginkel or Turner miss time due to injury, then the anxiety spikes. With Reddick, that drama would be lessened as he has ample experience as a starter.

Minnesota should pursue another EDGE rusher if only to hedge the bet against injury. Otherwise, the club could explore deploying rookie off-ball linebacker Jake Golday in a hybrid capacity.

If the choice is Reddick, he should be gettable for one year and around $5 million.

The Other Options

Should you, the Vikings fan, be worried about the OLB situation? Absolutely not. Why? Well, a handful of players are ready and waiting to sign with a team and fill an OLB3 role. All the options are “old” by NFL standards, but these free agents would work in Flores’s system as OLB insurance:

• Derek Barnett
• Joey Bosa
• Jadeveon Clowney
• Marcus Davenport
• Leonard Floyd
• Von Miller
• Preston Smith
• Za’Darius Smith
• Kyle Van Noy

Unless the Vikings are perfectly content with the current setup — meaning Richter, Batty, or Golday are yearning for a splash — adding a free-agent outside linebacker is a good problem to have in the summer of 2026. Any man from the list above, including Reddick, would do the trick.

Reddick will turn 32 in September.