The legal tampering period is underway, and Day 1 of NFL free agency saw some huge contracts being thrown around. Not so much by the Minnesota Vikings, however, who it seemed like had to cut or restructure about half the roster just to get cap-compliant. Minnesota’s biggest signing of the day was actually bringing back one of their own in linebacker Eric Wilson. It’s a low-risk deal, but does it also offer a low reward?
After a breakout season at age 31, the Vikings rewarded Eric Wilson with a three-year, $22.5 million deal with $12.5 million fully guaranteed. It’s a very Minnesota Vikings contract, which basically means it’s a two-year deal that Minnesota could get out of relatively easily in the third year. The money is almost identical to the deal Blake Cashman signed in 2024.
While those numbers initially seem high, the contract itself isn’t outrageous. And, really, when viewed from the perspective of getting an above-average starter this year for $7.5 million, it’s hard to find a better value. It isn’t a question of whether it’s a good deal for this season. The real problems might begin in 2027.
Here’s the good news first. Wilson was an incredible chess piece for Brian Flores last season, notching career highs in tackles, pressures, sacks, and forced fumbles. Wilson was third on the team in sacks with 6.5, and tied for first in forced fumbles with four. His 40 pressures led all traditional linebackers in the NFL last season, and Wilson’s aggressive play style fit the Flores system like a glove.
Eric Wilson was debatably Minnesota’s best defender and was also a key piece on special teams, where he forced one of his four fumbles on the year.
If Wilson had had this type of season two or three years ago, he probably would have been one of the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in football. Now, though, entering his age 32 season, it’s fair to question if Wilson’s deal might end up as one single year followed by a cut or pay reduction.
After setting career highs in pretty much every major statistic, it’s reasonable to presume that some of those won’t be met or eclipsed again. Wilson had more pressures, sacks, and forced fumbles this past season than he did the previous three seasons combined. Granted, he played much more this year. Still, contracts should reflect what could lie ahead, not what’s been done before, and it’s hard to see how Wilson could possibly top his incredible 2025 season.
But here’s the thing – maybe the Vikings don’t expect him to. Maybe Minnesota is perfectly fine if those numbers are halved, and they just need a reliable backer whom Flores can trust to execute his system. Maybe they simply love his can-do attitude or his catchy “E-Wil” nickname. Either way, the Vikings rewarded a guy who performed, and it’s hard to hate that.
Really, the only way this move doesn’t work is if a 32-year-old Wilson falls off an absolute cliff. As a fellow member of the early 30s club, and someone who recently injured a shoulder reaching for cereal, there’s always that possibility. But linebackers with good instincts and good training are sticking around later and later; 37-year-old Demario Davis just landed a two-year, $22 million deal with the New York Jets.
By all accounts, Wilson is an absolute team guy and likely deserves every penny of the new deal. But while rewarding players for good performances has its benefits, it also carries the risk of repeating what got the Vikings into this salary-cap mess.
Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave were on the wrong side of 30 when they signed their deals last season, and both are already out the door, leaving behind some ugly dead cap hits. While it quickly became clear they weren’t great scheme fits, unlike Wilson, it’s still a balancing act when it comes to paying older players.
It’s unlikely Wilson is still holding it down out there for Minnesota at age 35, but who knows? Bobby Wagner and Lavonte David have shown it can be done, and Wilson can never be counted out after turning a UDFA deal into a 10-year NFL career. Still, besting or even matching his 2025 numbers will likely prove difficult.
So while Eric Wilson set his own bar, maybe even too high, the Vikings might be willing to accept they won’t get those same video game numbers in 2026. Wilson is a great scheme fit, a great teammate, and versatile enough to play special teams. Although the contract may have been a slight overpay, it’s probably too hard to poke legitimate holes in this deal for a team that can’t afford to lose any more talent.
