One of the Minnesota Vikings' biggest splashes in free agency came at the expense of longtime starter Garrett Bradbury.
A 2019 first-round pick, Bradbury was a six-year starter for the Vikings before they signed Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly to a two-year, $18 million contract in March.
The Vikings attempted to find a trade partner for Bradbury but ultimately released him as one of the last draft picks left on the roster from the Rick Spielman regime.
Bradbury signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the New England Patriots later in free agency and made his first media appearance, where he broke the silence on his departure from Minnesota.
“That’s the business,” Bradbury said on April 10, via ProFootballTalk. “You never want to feel comfortable, but that’s a wake-up call. That’s ‘all right, here we go, that’s how they feel and they move on.’ There’s no ill will. I’m not bitter towards the Vikings. It’s just a new opportunity for me. I think when there’s a change, if you don’t take that opportunity, you’re not going to grow from it. So it’s more about, ‘Alright, I get to re-invent myself, I get to re-prove myself. ’
And the minute you think you have it figured out, you’re gone. So new team, new chapter, new offense — what can I bring? And you have to bring it every day. That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned — meeting room, practice, weight room. So not even a wake-up call, but it’s just new. It’s exciting. It’s a fresh start. New opportunity.”
Coming out of college, Bradbury was praised for his athleticism as a former tight end. However, his smaller frame proved troubling at times in pass protection. Bradbury allowed a career-high 38 pressures last season, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
There is an argument to be made that the offensive interior leans more on the sum of its parts than a single individual and whether Bradbury could have improved with more competent guard play around him.
The Vikings made the offensive interior a priority in peak free agency after they gave up a playoff-record nine sacks in a season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Minnesota signed former Colts guard Will Fries to a five-year, $88 million deal and could also look to draft another guard high in April's draft.
