Vikings not likely to exercise fifth-year option on Garrett Bradbury

Today is the day that NFL teams need to decide whether or not they’re going to exercise the fifth-year option on the contracts of their 2019 first-round draft picks, and it would appear that the Minnesota Vikings have made their decision on theirs.

It seems unlikely that the Vikings will exercise their fifth-year option on center Garrett Bradbury, who they took with the 18th overall pick in 2019. Picking up Bradbury’s fifth-year option would potentially put the Vikings on the hook for paying him about $13.2 million in 2023.

Bradbury has had his struggles at center in his three seasons with the team, but despite that new head coach Kevin O’Connell has not given any indication that the center spot is up for grabs on this year’s team. He has said that the only spot that’s open is the right guard spot. So, the team doesn’t like Bradbury enough to pick up his fifth-year option but doesn’t seem to feel compelled to give him any real competition at center.

It sounds weird when you say it that way, but given that $13.2 million figure, it makes sense.

The Vikings not picking up Bradbury’s option means that he’s in the final year of his rookie contract, and barring a significant bounce back from him this season will likely be moving on in 2013. As it stands right now, I believe that the backup at center on the depth chart is Austin Schlottmann, who the Vikings signed in free agency early in the process. That could potentially be a spot the Vikings see Wyatt Davis at as well, given that he was working at center in the preseason at times last year.

What do you think of the Vikings (likely) not picking up the fifth-year option on Garrett Bradbury, folks?