At this point, the Minnesota Vikings employ 89 players. They have overhauled their 2024 roster by investing huge sums in free agency and acquired some players in the draft and in trades with other organizations.
The Vikings Have Cut 4 Players this Offseason
To get to those 89 players, four players have been cut this offseason.
Garrett Bradbury
Garrett Bradbury was a 2019 first-round selection, but he has never done enough to warrant that draft slot. He was a low-end starting-caliber player for six years and started most games in that time, but the Vikings felt it was time for something new and acquired four-time Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly to take his place.
Bradbury is an athletic but undersized center. That lack of size and power has gotten him in some trouble throughout his NFL career, especially in pass protection.
He said about his release: “I had six great years in Minnesota. It’s a great locker room,” Bradbury highlighted. “Built some really great connections there and it ended. That’s the business. You never want to feel comfortable, but that’s a wake-up call. That’s, ‘All right, here we go, that’s how they feel and they move on.’ There’s no ill will. I’m not bitter towards the Vikings. It’s just a new opportunity for me.”
Just a few days after Minnesota said goodbye, Bradbury was hired by the New England Patriots, who desperately seek more protection for sophomore Drake Maye.
Trevor Reid
In draft week, the Vikings also released offensive tackle Trevor Reid with a non-football injury designation. Last season, he was named Saskatchewan’s Most Outstanding Rookie in the CFL. He previously went undrafted out of Louisville, and his stints with the Eagles and Falcons didn’t last long.
He can now head back to the Saskatchewan Rough Riders or try to find another offseason roster spot in the NFL.
NaJee Thompson
Also released ahead of the draft was special-teams demon NaJee Thompson. He is a cornerback on paper, but everybody knows he is an ace in the game’s third phase, and that’s why he is a professional football player.
Unfortunately, he suffered a severe knee injury in his 2023 rookie season and was forced to sit out his entire 2024 campaign. Now trying to make a comeback, Thompson hopes to get a shot elsewhere. His tape as a punt gunner from 2023 is electric.
Nahshon Wright
Nahshon Wright was once a Dallas Cowboys draft bust. They reached for him in the draft, and he could never live up to his third-round draft pedigree. Last preseason, the Vikings swapped Andrew Booth Jr. to Dallas for the tall defender.
Wright appeared in one game with the Vikings and spent all year on the practice squad. The Chicago Bears picked him up shortly after his release.
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