Jonathan Greenard had one heck of a season in 2024. The Minnesota Vikings edge rusher followed up a great final season in Houston by signing a big contract with the purple and gold and earning a Pro Bowl nod.
Greenard's back-to-back seasons with over 12 sacks will hopefully continue in 2025. He played all 17 games last season, and will hopefully repeat or beat that number in a season where he and the Vikings will play consecutive international games.
When it was announced that Minnesota would play two "road" games in Europe, many fans and experts were surprised. A social media post by Greenard had an interesting response from fans that needed some clarification.
Jonathan Greenard had an interesting response to Minnesota Vikings international games
On Instagram, Football Forever shared that the Minnesota Vikings would be playing back-to-back international games starting with a contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland in Week 4 and concluding against the Cleveland Browns in England in Week 5.
As a response to this post, Jonathan Greenard shared the three letters "smh" as a response. It wouldn't be shocking if Vikings players weren't too keen on the idea, since it would mean extended time away from home during the season.
Many fans and media outlets took that comment as a sign that the Vikings' edge rusher was not pleased with that part of the schedule. In fact, Sports Illustrated shared an article with the headline saying he is "displeased" with the games.
Later, the Minnesota Vikings shared a video of Greenard reacting to the schedule on YouTube. In the video, he expresses excitement for the opportunity to play the first ever game in Ireland but also explained the challenge it presents for families of the players.
Initially, it seems like a hassle. But when you look at it from a different angle, that means the Minnesota Vikings have two games that count as road games that are being played at a neutral location during the season.
That means the Vikings will have eight games at home, seven games at the stadiums of opposing teams, and two games played at neutral sites. This means U.S. Bank Stadium could play an even bigger role in how the team fares overall during the 2025 NFL season.
Let's hope that Jonathan Greenard and the Minnesota Vikings can take advantage of those European games and make some more fans out of the people of Ireland and England in 2025.
