The Minnesota Vikings have made their first big free-agent splash. On the day the legal tampering window opens up across the league, the club has agreed to terms on a deal with emerging pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, according to CBS Sports HQ senior NFL insider Josina Anderson. In terms of the contract specifics, The Athletic notes that the two sides agreed on a four-year, $76 million contract that includes $42 million guaranteed.
The 26-year-old is coming off a breakout season in 2023. He started all 15 of his games played in the regular season and tallied a career-high 12.5 sacks. Greenard also totaled 52 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 22 quarterback hits, and 32 pressures, which were career-highs across the board.
Greenard entered the league as a third-round pick of the Texans in 2020 out of Florida.
The signing of Greenard could prove to be a sign that the Vikings will not be retaining fellow pass rusher Danielle Hunter, who is also hitting the free agent market this offseason. The 29-year-old has spent his entire career with Minnesota ever since the club drafted him in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of LSU. Last year, Hunter totaled 16.5 sacks, which was a career-high.
Meanwhile, Greenard was the No. 22 overall free agent on CBS Sports senior NFL analyst Pete Prisco's Top 100 free agents list.