After breaking out as a UDFA darling, linebacker Ivan Pace has seen his impact with the Minnesota Vikings diminish recently. So much so that despite his relatively low price at $3.5 million this year, his name has consistently been brought up as a potential cut candidate.
But will Minnesota actually entertain that notion?
After looking like the future of the position for Minnesota in 2023, Pace followed it up with an injury-marred season in 2024, then lost his job to Eric Wilson early in the 2025 season. When Pace played last year, he struggled against the pass. He graded out as the 85th-ranked linebacker of 88 according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), and failed to produce much with his infamous Tasmanian Devil aggressiveness.
Ivan Pace has become a liability in the pass game, and his aggressive playstyle has become more detrimental than helpful with his incorrect reads and missed tackles. He didn’t play more than 20 snaps from Week 6 and beyond after losing his spot to Wilson.
So while it’s clear Minnesota has lost some faith in Pace — benching him in favor of Wilson and then using a second-round pick on Jake Golday — they also tendered him for 2026. Pace still has some value on special teams, but is that enough to justify his roster spot?
The answer is an overwhelming yes. Pace hasn’t progressed the way anyone had hoped after breaking out as a rookie. Still, a rocket at off-ball linebacker depth with special teams abilities is a deal in more ways than one.
For starters, the Vikings are finally out of salary cap hell, and it seems highly unlikely that they’ll cut Pace to save a few bucks. Besides a possible addition at edge, the Vikings don’t especially need to be pinching pennies to fill out their roster with free-agent additions.
Cutting Pace only saves $3 million, and it’s hard to see how that would make the difference in getting the guy they want or losing out. The Vikings still have about $13 million left to spend, which is about at league average. There’s not much reason to expect they’ll need much more.
While Pace’s days as a three-down backer in Minnesota are likely over, he still offers plenty of juice as a run-stopper and pass rusher as a depth piece. He graded in the top-quarter of off-ball linebackers as a pass rusher in 2025 according to PFF, stacking up 14 pressures, six QB hits and a sack on limited snaps. At just 5’10”, Pace isn’t the answer to Minnesota’s depth concerns at edge. Still, he occasionally generates pass rush for the madman Brian Flores.
An aggressive, downhill attacker who can occasionally get caught in no man’s land, Pace doesn’t offer enough to reclaim his starting role – but, really, nobody is asking for him to do that.
The biggest reason that cutting Pace feels like a ridiculous sentiment is because the cupboard is about as bare as it can get behind him. Assuming the Vikings keep four inside linebackers like last year, it would leave Blake Cashman, Wilson, Golday, and presumably Pace. After that, the options to replace Pace are a group of young UDFA’s in Josh Ross, Keli Lawson, Bangally Kamara, or Jacob Roberts.
Obviously, Pace was an undrafted free agent who earned a spot on the 53-man immediately, but not many of these other guys have been making waves at OTA’s or minicamp. Again, had the Vikings been paying Pace an exorbitant amount, there may be a discussion. But without any significant savings to cash in, setting free a strong special teamer and quality depth piece who knows the system seems foolish.
Pace has clearly been disappointing after bursting onto the scene quicker than a newscast. Still, to think that his roster spot is in jeopardy fails to account for simple math. The Vikings need four off-ball backers — and they only have four. On the free-agent market, there’s little that inspires a move away from Pace, especially when considering it would be for LB4.
Aging vets like Bobby Wagner or Matt Milano likely wouldn’t jump at a chance to play a dozen or so snaps a game, and they offer little to no value on special teams. As far as bargains go, it would be hard to find a deal that cuts costs enough that it would be worth opting for an outsider in favor of Pace, a three-year Flores warrior.
There’s no question Ivan Pace has fallen out of favor in Minnesota. Still, barring a stunning improvement from one of the rookie UDFA’s behind him, his spot on the roster is secure.
