Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done a ton of wheeling and dealing this offseason, with a clear emphasis on beefing up the trenches on both sides of the football.
The strategy has been widely lauded by NFL pundits, as struggles to protect former quarterback Sam Darnold, and a lack of interior pressure on defense, wound up being fatal flaws in the back-to-back losses that derailed Minnesota’s 14-win season in 2024.
One NFL analyst, however, feels the Vikings overextended for one of their prized free agent signings for the defensive line.
NFL Spin Zone’s Lou Scataglia recently labeled the Vikings’ two-year, $30 million deal for veteran free agent Javon Hargrave the worst on Adofo-Mensah’s books entering the 2025 season. Here was his take on the signing:
The two-time Pro Bowler is entering his age-32 season in the NFL and played in just three games with the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 NFL Season, so there is already a risk here with the Minnesota Vikings having made this signing, but I get why it was done.
The Vikings front office prioritized the trenches in a big way this offseason, as they also signed DT Jonathan Allen, center Ryan Kelly, and guard Will Fries, but this is a massive overpay for a DT who is getting old and who has had double-digit QB hits in just three seasons across his career.
Holding just four 2025 draft selections at the start of the new league year, the Vikings clearly felt the time was now to go big in free agency and begin building around quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s rookie-scale contract. That strategy included targeting potential discounts signings, as both Hargrave and guard Will Fries are coming off season-ending injuries in 2024, and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen missed about half the 2024 season himself.
The Vikings have some depth on the defensive interior, including a hidden gem in Jalen Redmond, so they won’t be asking Hargrave to overextend himself. He’s in Minnesota for one main reason — pressuring the quarterback, and he’s been one of the best defensive tackles in football in that area over the past five years.
Is $15 million per year for a 32-year-old player too steep? Scataglia certainly has a case, but Hargrave’s previous contract with the San Francisco 49ers was four years and $84 million, so you could also argue that they’re getting him at a discount. If injuries derail Hargrave’s 2025 season, the Vikings gave themselves an out by paying the majority of his guaranteed money up front. They can get out of this deal in 2026 for just a $10 million dead-cap charge.
When it comes to Adofo-Mensah, it’s a lot easier to nitpick his draft classes than it is his moves in free agency, because he’s one of the league’s best in the latter department. Paying Byron Murphy Jr. CB1 money at $18 million per year might have been the better call-out here, as Hargrave’s deal will be well worth it if he can generate his usual 60-plus QB pressures per year.
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