The Minnesota Vikings have added another name to the mix, and Ivan Pace Jr. is the one feeling the pressure.
Jamal Adams is the latest notable arrival, and the fact that Minnesota is listing him at linebacker instead of safety matters. It could shift the pecking order in a room that was already thin before he showed up, especially in Brian Flores’ defense, where physicality and coverage ability can buy a player real time on the field. Adams may be well beyond his peak, but there’s still enough left in his game to make him a factor if he settles in quickly over the summer.
That’s where the trouble starts for Pace. He came to Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in 2023, made the roster, and turned in more than 100 tackles as a rookie.
It looked like the start of something bigger. Instead, his stock has slipped, and now he’s in a contract year with no guaranteed money left after signing a restricted free-agent tender this offseason.
The Vikings will give him a shot to hold his spot through camp and the preseason, but Adams’ arrival changes the conversation. Pace is no longer sitting in a comfortable position. He’s fighting to stay relevant in a depth chart that suddenly looks a lot different.
There’s still a path for Minnesota to turn this into an asset if it comes to that. Pace is young, and while he’s undersized for the position, he does have three years of solid production behind him. If general manager Nolan Teasley decides Pace is expendable, a trade could bring back a pick swap or a late Day 3 selection from a team trying to jump the line.
Adams’ own résumé still carries weight, too. He may never get back to the level he reached with the New York Jets, but the flashes he showed at the defensive second level with the Las Vegas Raiders last season were enough to keep him in the conversation. If he adapts quickly, Pace could be the one squeezed out.
And the financial side makes that possibility even more real. Minnesota would clear $3.5 million by releasing or trading Pace, with no dead money attached. For Pace, the message is clear: he needs a strong response, and he needs it now.
Anything less, and he could be wearing another uniform by Week 1.
In Other News...
Kyler Murray Might Finally Show Cardinals Fans What They Never Got
A fresh start has a way of sharpening the conversation around a quarterback, and Kyler Murray is already drawing plenty of it as he heads into his first year in Minnesota. Around the league, former Cardinals voices have been quick to weigh in on what the Vikings might be getting, with the general theme sounding familiar: the talent has never been the question, but the setting may finally help bring more of it out on a weekly basis.
One anonymous former Arizona coach went so far as to say fans will see the best version of Murray in Minnesota, while former Cardinals and current Commanders running back Chase Edmonds called this the most consistent version yet. Former Cardinals assistant Jordan Hogan added another layer to the picture, saying Murray wants to lean more toward being a pocket passer and avoid the kind of unnecessary hits that have too often shaped the conversation around him. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings First Round Record Just Got A Brutal Outside Verdict
Mike Renners latest CBS Sports ranking of every NFL first-round pick since 2020 put a harsh spotlight on the Vikings recent draft history. Minnesota had eight players included in the exercise, and the results were mixed enough to make the whole stretch look uneven, with a couple of the clubs best selections landing near the top of the list while others were pushed far down the board.
There is still some room for the picture to change, especially with younger pieces like Dallas Turner and Donovan Jackson not yet fully written into the long-term evaluation. But the overall verdict is clear enough to sting: for a team that has leaned on the first round to shape its future, the outside view says the return has been far from uniform, and the next update could matter just as much as the last one. [Read more 🡒]
Jamal Adams Just Put More Pressure On His Vikings Arrival
Jamal Adams spoke to Minnesota reporters for the first time since joining the Vikings, and the conversation offered a quick look at why he landed here in the first place. Adams pointed to general manager Nolan Teasley and defensive coordinator Brian Flores as the main draws, while also stressing that his immediate job is to get comfortable in the system and pick up the terminology as quickly as possible.
The bigger question for Minnesota is what Adams can still be at this stage of his career, especially after the injury that changed his last few seasons. He talked about the challenge of getting back to full health and confidence, and he also framed himself as the kind of defender who can move around the formation and fill different roles. For the Vikings, that kind of flexibility is intriguing, but it only matters if the version of Adams they are bringing in can hold up once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]