The Patriots are in the market for veteran free-agent offensive line help, and an intriguing option became available.
The Minnesota Vikings released veteran center Garrett Bradbury on Monday. The 29-year-old was a first-round pick in 2019 and started all 88 games played over the last six seasons.
Last week, the Patriots released veteran center David Andrews. That left the Patriots with options, but little certainty at the center position. They have Ben Brown, Cole Strange, Jake Andrews, and Lecitus Smith on their 90-man roster.
The Vikings opted to move on from Bradbury after signing veteran center Ryan Kelly this offseason. Kelly, 31, is a 4-time Pro Bowler. After signing him, Minnesota tried to trade Bradbury but didn’t find any takers on his current contract that paid him a base salary of $4.9 million.
Now, Bradbury is free to sign elsewhere – and the Patriots could be suitors.
At N.C. State, Bradbury was an All-American and won the Rimington Trophy in 2018, which is given to the best center in college football. His play led him to being drafted by the Vikings with the 18th overall pick in 2019. Bradbury started instantly for the Vikings as a rookie. He’s played every NFL snap at the center position.
In 2023, Minnesota re-signed him to a 3-year, $15.6 million extension. According to Pro Football, Bradbury has been a better run blocker in the NFL. This past season, he was given a 70.7 run-blocking grade, which ranked him 14 out of 64 centers. His pass-blocking grade was 48.2, which ranked him 55th in the NFL.
Last season, Bradbury ranked 27th among NFL centers with a 62.8 grade. By comparison, Brown ranked 39th with a 52.8 grade. In limited action, Andrews had a 58.7 grade and Strange was given a 48.6 grade.
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