The Vikings have added some young talent to their defensive line.
With the 18th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Vikings have selected Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
The 23-year-old Banks spent two years at Louisville before transferring and playing three years at Florida. He’s 6-foot-6, 327 pounds and undeniably talented, although his history of injuries is a concern. His most recent injury was a broken bone in his foot at the Scouting Combine, but he is expected to be ready before training camp.
A quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy will be the most-watched story in Vikings camp, but Minnesota fans will also be keeping a close eye on Banks, whom they hope will make a big impact on defense as a rookie.
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Former Vikings defensive lineman Doug Martin, the ninth overall pick in the 1980 draft, has died. He was 68.
Martin spent 10 years with the Vikings. He appeared in 126 regular-season games, with 94 starts.
In 1982, which was shortened to nine games due to a strike, Martin led the league with 11.5 sacks. He had a career-high 13 sacks in 1983.
Martin had 61.5 sacks for his career, which puts him at fourth on the team’s all-time sack list. He was on the last two Vikings teams that played outdoors, before the opening of the Metrodome in 1982.
His older brother, George, played for the Giants from 1975 through 1988.
We extend our condolences to Martin’s family, friends, and colleagues.
The Vikings opened their offseason program without safety Harrison Smith, but the door hasn’t been closed on the veteran’s return if he decides to play in 2026.
Smith wrapped up his 14th season in the final game of the 2025 campaign and said late in the year that he was unsure if he would be back for a 15th year. Smith is currently a free agent and head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he has remained in touch with the longtime cornerstone of the defense.
“It’s been a few days, but now that you remind me, I’ll probably bug him today,” O’Connell said, via the team’s website. “It’s something [where] we’re still trying to give Harrison as much space as possible, and I think he’s earned that. If it’s anything at this point, it’s seeing how he’s doing, seeing how his family is, seeing how his golf game is.”
Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Tavierre Thomas, Theo Jackson, and Kahlef Hailassie are the current safeties on the Vikings roster.
At the end of the 2025 season, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was asked about quarterback J.J. McCarthy and said that he “would love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy” but that picture looked a little different when the team started their offseason program on Monday.
The Vikings signed Kyler Murray after the Cardinals released him and that makes McCarthy’s path back to the starting lineup a more difficult one over the coming months. Jefferson said on Monday that he has spent time working with McCarthy since the end of last season and finds the quarterback “a lot more confident” than he was a year ago, but also said he’s enthused about Murray’s ability to make “big, exciting plays” in the offense.
That ability could push McCarthy out of the No. 1 job, but Jefferson outlined why the situation can ultimately be a positive for the quarterback.
“I’m definitely looking forward to [Murray’s] speed, his quickness, his arm strength that he’s shown countless times over the years,” Jefferson said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. “And then for J.J., for somebody to enter that room with that type of ability, that type of talent, he’s got to step it up a little bit. So it’s good for him to feel that type of pressure and to really lock in a little bit and say, ‘It’s either now or I’m going to take that back seat again.’ So it’s all a competitive mindset when it comes to these type of things. So it’s all about who’s ready for that moment and who’s ready to step up and take that initiative.”
There’s a lot to play out before the Vikings name their quarterback for Week 1, but there’s little doubt that McCarthy will have to raise his level of play to remain part of the team’s long-term plans.
Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard’s future with the Vikings has been a topic of conversation throughout the offseason and it remained one on the first day of the team’s voluntary workout program.
A report on Monday morning indicated that the Eagles and Vikings have discussed a trade involving Greenard since it became known that the Vikings were open to discussing a deal involving the veteran. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said last month that he expects Greenard to be with the team for the 2026 season, but confirmed at a Monday press conference that Greenard did not take part in Monday’s work.
While Greenard is not there, executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski said that nothing has changed about the team’s expectations for his role.
“JG’s a great player,” Brzezinski said. “I expect JG to be here. There’s all this speculation, there’s been speculation. . . . We’re really happy he’s a part of our team.”
Plans can change with the right trade offer and we’ll see if anything changes about Greenard’s status in Minnesota as the draft unfolds this week.
When it comes to the Eagles and trades, there’s been a heavy recent focus on receiver A.J. Brown.
But Philadelphia also has had interest in adding an edge rusher.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Eagles and Vikings have engaged in trade talks about defensive end Jonathan Greenard multiple times during the offseason.
Minnesota is seeking a “premium Day 2 pick” in exchange for Greenard, Schefter reports. The Eagles currently hold No. 54 overall in the second round, plus No. 68 and No. 98 in the third round.
Philadelphia’s interest in adding an edge rusher, however, goes beyond Greenard, according to Schefter.
Greenard, 28, has spent the last two seasons with the Vikings. He was a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2024, recording 12.0 sacks with 18 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits. In 2025, he was limited to 12 games with 10 starts, recording 3.0 sacks, 10 TFLs, and 12 QB hits along with three passes defensed with one forced fumble.
Linebacker Ivan Pace has signed a contract with the Vikings for the 2026 season.
Pace’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln said that Pace has signed the restricted free agent tender the team used on him earlier this offseason.
The Vikings tendered Pace at the right of first refusal level, which would have given them a chance to match any outside offer sheet without entitling them to any compensation if Pace moved on. Pace is now set to make $3.52 million for the coming season.
Pace has played in 45 games for Minnesota over the last three seasons. He has 236 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
Vikings defensive lineman Jalen Redmond signed his exclusive rights free agent tender on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transactions report.
Redmond, 26, appeared in all 17 games for the Vikings last season, starting 15 games. He totaled 62 tackles, six sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and five pass breakups.
He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, signing with the Panthers out of Oklahoma in 2023. Redmond went on the physically unable to perform list during his first training camp, and the Panthers cut him.
Redmond played with the Arlington Renegades in the XFL in 2024, and then caught on with the Vikings that summer.
In 2024, he played 13 games, with two starts, and recorded 18 tackles, one sack and two pass breakups.
One of the draft’s top tight ends is continuing a busy stretch this week.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Georgia’s Oscar Delp is visiting with the Buccaneers and Chargers this week.
Delp previously had top-30 visits with the Patriots, Ravens, and Vikings last week.
Delp did not work out at the scouting combine after a hairline fracture was revealed in his foot during a routine X-ray. But Delp was able to work out at Georgia’s Pro Day last month.
An experienced player at Georgia, Delp was on the field for 55 games with 34 starts. He totaled 70 receptions for 854 yards with nine touchdowns. That includes 21 receptions for 248 yards and four TDs in 2025.
