The Deadline Gamble: Vikings' Potential Pursuit of Ben Bredeson
AI-generated image · US National Wire
Minnesota's O-line crisis mirrors the desperate trade-deadline logic seen across professional sports.
As an NHL columnist, I see the same desperation every trade deadline: a GM willing to overpay for a plug-and-play starter to save a season. While this is NFL territory, the logic is identical. The Minnesota Vikings are currently staring at a roster crisis, and as Sports Illustrated first reported, targeting Buccaneers guard Ben Bredeson is a move that makes too much sense to ignore.
Minnesota is reeling after losing guard Donovan Jackson for the season due to a torn meniscus. While Joe Huber has filled in, Sports Illustrated notes that Huber's Pro Football Focus grades (60.5 run-block, 46.5 pass-block) pale in comparison to Bredeson's current season marks (61.2 run-block, 62.9 pass-block). With the Buccaneers sitting at a 1-4 record, Vikings GM Nolan Teasley has a clear opening to call Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht for the 28-year-old veteran, who is the elder brother of Vikings rookie fullback Max Bredeson.
Bredeson offers the kind of immediate stability that desperate teams crave. He has 58 starts across 78 games with the Ravens, Giants, and Buccaneers. More importantly, he provides long-term flexibility. Spotrac reports Bredeson is under contract through 2027 with an $8.2 million cap hit, and the team could potentially save $7 million in cap space via a post-June 1 release.
The cost is the gamble. While Bleacher Report's Alex Kay suggests a deal involving a fifth-round pick in April, Sports Illustrated posits that Minnesota might have to surrender a 2027 fourth- or fifth-rounder, plus a 2028 sixth- or seventh-rounder. It is a classic deadline play: sacrificing future assets for a proven commodity to keep a playoff window open.