The Vikings made a major investment in Will Fries last offseason, handing the guard a five-year, $87.7 million deal as they reworked the interior of their offensive line. On paper, it looked like a statement move. In practice, the return has been a lot less impressive.
Fries was the only projected starting offensive lineman to play every game for Minnesota last season, which mattered given the injury pileup around him. But availability didn’t translate into difference-making play. Pro Football Focus graded him as a middling performer, and the numbers tell the story: among 81 qualifying guards last year, Fries ranked 42nd overall with a 61.7 grade, 47th in run blocking at 60.1, and 36th in pass blocking at 62.9.
That sort of output is hard to sell when the contract says top-tier starter. For a guard making top-10 money at his position, “fine” doesn’t really cut it.
What makes the situation even more interesting is that Fries’ small sample with the Colts in 2024 before a fractured tibia may have been the better version of him. In just five games, he was charting like a standout. If he had played enough to qualify, his 86.9 overall PFF grade would have ranked third among guards, his 84.9 blocking grade would have checked in fourth, and his 74.9 pass-blocking mark would have placed 12th.
This season, though, he’s looked much closer to the player Minnesota got a year ago than the one Indianapolis saw in that brief burst. Fries is currently PFF’s 36th-highest-graded guard out of 74 qualifiers. His run-blocking grade sits 31st, while his pass-blocking grade is down at 50th.
The run game appears to be helping him some, but the pass protection issues are still there. PFF says Fries has already allowed 10 pressures this season, including a team-high three against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.
That kind of production brings the contract into focus. Fries received $44 million guaranteed, with $34 million fully guaranteed at signing, including a $20 million signing bonus and fully guaranteed base salaries this year and last year that add up to $14 million.
There’s also money lined up beyond that. Of his $16.89 million base salary in 2027, $10 million becomes guaranteed on the third day of the 2027 league year. If Fries keeps trending the way he has, Minnesota could have every reason to avoid that trigger and look for another path.
The escape routes are built into the deal. According to Over The Cap, a release before June 1, 2027 would leave the Vikings with $12 million in dead money and $9.5 million in cap savings. A post-June 1 move would spread that $12 million dead-money hit over 2027, 2028 and 2029 while opening up $17.5 million in cap space.
For a player paid like a cornerstone, Fries has delivered something closer to replacement level over 22 games in Minnesota, maybe even a bit below that. If the current trend holds, the Vikings could be staring at a costly free-agent bet that never fully paid off.
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