{"id":933358,"date":"2026-07-01T02:03:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T02:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/933358\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T02:03:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T02:03:32","slug":"minnesota-vikings-continue-to-receive-criticism-for-their-biggest-offseason-move-and-its-completely-warranted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/933358\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Vikings continue to receive criticism for their biggest offseason move, and it&#8217;s completely warranted"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Despite it coming two months after the move was executed, the Minnesota Vikings trading Jonathan Greenard continues to receive criticism.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1799\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-12-15T023938Z_1811087174_MT1USATODAY27819213_RTRMADP_3_NFL-MINNESOTA-VIKINGS-AT-DALLAS-COWBOYS-.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-1280 size-1280 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew van Ginkel (43) celebrate after a play during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&amp;T Stadium.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"  data-hero=\"atoz-hero\" \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew van Ginkel (43) celebrate after a play during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&amp;T Stadium.<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a massive offseason for the Minnesota Vikings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They didn\u2019t make a ton of additions, but rather the subtractions that made the biggest noise. Of those, the most controversial was that of <a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings-news\/minnesota-vikings-salary-cap-health-post-nfl-draft-and-jonathan-greenard-trade-is-significantly-better\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"452588\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">edge rusher Jonathan Greenard<\/a>, as he <a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings-news\/jonathan-greenard-trade-speaks-volumes-rob-brzezinski-salary-cap-kyler-murray\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"451090\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">was traded on day two<\/a> of the NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It wasn\u2019t the most popular decision either, especially with the lack of draft capital coming back. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/49147104\/nfl-offseason-grades-2026-free-agency-draft-trades-extensions-coaching-changes#MIN\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ESPN\u2019s Seth Walder<\/a> was very critical of the move in giving the Vikings\u2019 offseason a B-. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDuring the draft, the Vikings\u00a0dealt Greenard, one of their best players, to the Eagles in exchange for two third-round picks. I don\u2019t think it was worth it, especially in the current trade environment for high-end players. Despite only three sacks in 12 games last season, Greenard\u2019s 23.2% pass rush win rate at edge would have ranked fourth at the position had he qualified.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Greenard trade continues to be criticized<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s not beat around the bush. Moving on from Greenard to open a path forward for <a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings-news\/minnesota-vikings-path-super-bowl-include-5-things-kyler-murray-jauan-jennings-kevin-oconnell-dallas-turner\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"468661\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Turner<\/a> makes some sense. He proved how ready he was to be a starter last season when he showed domination at the end of the year when Greenard missed time with a shoulder injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even with that information, the Vikings weren\u2019t forced to trade Greenard. They could have easily made it work with him and Turner opposite of Andrew Van Ginkel, or potentially moved on from the latter instead. That wasn\u2019t the path they chose, instead sending Greenard to the Eagles for No. 98 overall (S Jakobe Thomas) and a 2027 third-round pick. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Walder makes the argument that he went for too little in this market, which is valid. Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby were initially traded for way more than a first-round pick, and Greenard, while not on their level, is a fringe top-10 pass rusher. That should have netted the Vikings at least a first-round pick. The injury, plus wanting an extension, ended up preventing the Vikings from getting just that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The continued criticism raises another question. Was the Greenard trade a reason why Rob Brzezinski didn\u2019t get the general manager job? He was responsible for facilitating the Adam Thielen trade behind Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u2019s back, and that didn\u2019t go over well, especially after he requested his release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New general manager Nolan Teasley has a lot of work to do with this roster, and not having Greenard will make it harder.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782856281_482_2025-12-25T231425Z_815061223_MT1USATODAY27885214_RTRMADP_3_NFL-DETROIT-LIONS-AT-MINNESOTA-VIKINGS-5-.jpeg\" alt=\"Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell looks on in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.\" loading=\"lazy\"   width=\"200\" height=\"200\" style=\"object-position:50% 50%\"\/>\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"query-card-horizontal__category is-style-eyebrow\">Minnesota Vikings News<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings-news\/kevin-oconnell-minnesota-viking-dragged-dianna-russini-saga-traffic-stop\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tKevin O\u2019Connell and the Minnesota Vikings are dragged into Dianna Russini saga in a way they don\u2019t want to be\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-body-small\">The saga of Dianna Russini has taken another interesting turn, this time involving the Minnesota Vikings and Kevin O\u2019Connell.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-12-15T020202Z_1901206818_MT1USATODAY27818991_RTRMADP_3_NFL-MINNESOTA-VIKINGS-AT-DALLAS-COWBOYS-.jpeg\" alt=\"Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&amp;T Stadium.\" loading=\"lazy\"   width=\"200\" height=\"200\" style=\"object-position:50% 50%\"\/>\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"query-card-horizontal__category is-style-eyebrow\">Minnesota Vikings News<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings-news\/dianna-russinis-comments-jj-mccarthy-can-of-worms-minnesota-vikings-kevin-oconnell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDianna Russini\u2019s comments on J.J. McCarthy open up a can of worms for the Minnesota Vikings and Kevin O\u2019Connell\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-body-small\">The latest update in the Dianna Russini saga involves the Minnesota Vikings, and it brings up an interesting storyline.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-11-16T223454Z_1763161820_MT1USATODAY27607387_RTRMADP_3_CFL-GREY-CUP-CHAMPIONSHIP-SASKATCHEWAN-R.jpeg\" alt=\"Nov 16, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; General view of the stadium prior to the game between Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders during the 112th Grey Cup Championship at Princess Auto Stadium.\" loading=\"lazy\"   width=\"200\" height=\"200\" style=\"object-position:50% 50%\"\/>\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"query-card-horizontal__category is-style-eyebrow\">Minnesota Vikings News<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings-news\/minnesota-vikings-fans-need-to-go-to-cfl-game-winnipeg-blue-bombers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMinnesota Vikings fans need to do one thing this offseason, and it\u2019ll remind you of U.S. Bank Stadium\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-body-small\">If you are missing football really bad during the summer months, there is a simple solution that will give you similar vibes to U.S. Bank Stadium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite it coming two months after the move was executed, the Minnesota Vikings trading Jonathan Greenard continues to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":933359,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[12,7,8041,233,259,2529,6,234],"class_list":["post-933358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-minnesota-vikings","tag-espn","tag-football","tag-jonathan-greenard","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-minnesotavikings","tag-nfl","tag-vikings"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116842267184085699","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=933358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/933359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=933358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=933358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=933358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}