On Wednesday afternoon, at the start of the new NFL league year, the Minnesota Vikings cut ties with two of their big free agent signings from last offseason. . .and one of them already has a new home that will give him a shot at the Vikings twice a year.
The team announced that they have officially released defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in moves that will net the Vikings around $21 million in cap space. Within minutes of the news becoming official, the word came down that Hargrave had agreed to a two-year, $23 million deal with the Green Bay Packers, with $13 million in guaranteed money.
Last offseason, both men got significant money from the Vikings to come in and shore up the defensive front. Allen signed a three-year, $60 million deal, while Hargrave got a two-year, $30 million deal. The two of them combined for seven sacks in 2025, and with the Vikings needing to shed some salary to get themselves under the salary cap, their contracts were pretty easy targets for interim GM Rob Brzezinski to shed.
With Allen and Hargrave gone, the Vikings will have a much different look on the defensive line. Jalen Redmond took a serious step forward in 2025, and there will be plenty of other young players around him, such as Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Elijah Williams. The defensive line will also likely continue to be a focus for the Vikings as we move into the second wave of free agency, as well as in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Vikings are continuing to clean house and make moves in free agency, and as those moves come down, we will continue to bring them to you as soon as we hear about them.
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