EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings on Monday announced they have placed the exclusive rights free agent tender on Jalen Redmond.

The move is one of the easier decisions for Minnesota and brings Redmond back for 2026 with an eventual opportunity for a longer-term deal.

Redmond was deservedly dubbed the defensive line's "Unsung Hero" in Vikings.com's position recap in January.

This designation followed him playing 793 defensive snaps, recording 62 tackles, 6.0 sacks, eight quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and five passes defended in 2025. Redmond led the position group in sacks, tackles for loss and passes defended in his second pro season. He was one of three players in the NFL in 2025 with at least 60 tackles, 6.0 sacks and five passes defended (Brian Burns and Maxx Crosby). Redmond became the seventh defensive lineman since 1999 (third interior lineman) with that stat line in one of his first two pro seasons, joining Kevin Williams for the 2004 Vikings and J.J. Watt for the 2012 Texans.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell noted in mid-November Redmond had "clearly established himself" as a crucial piece of the Vikings defense.

"There's a standard to his play. It's shown up every single week, and it goes back a lot before everybody started to notice it. For us, just felt like he was a guy that we wanted to make sure was on the field as much as possible," O'Connell said. "He's a really good player. I think he's developed throughout his time here and really is starting to understand how he fits within the defense.

"Love the player and everything he brings to our defense and our building every day," O'Connell added.

Redmond was brought in by the Vikings late during the 2024 offseason program, showing the benefits of continuing to mine for players.

He has started 17 of 30 NFL games, totaling 80 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, seven passes defended and nine QB hits.

Exclusive Rights Free Agent designations apply to players with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If the original team offers the tender at the league minimum (based on credited seasons), the player is unable to negotiate with other teams.

Players with three accrued seasons and an expired contract are Restricted Free Agents, and teams can apply various qualifying offers on those players.

Players with at least four accrued seasons and an expired contract become unrestricted free agents able to negotiate with any team.

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