The Detroit Lions finally made a move to round out their incomplete pass-rush unit and inked a recent breakout player from the Minnesota Vikings to do it.
Minnesota selected outside linebacker DJ Wonnum in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft and watched him develop into a quality starter across a four-year run with the team. Wonnum tallied eight sacks in both 2021 and 2023, playing in 32 of 34 regular-season games across those two campaigns and starting 14 contests in both of them.
All told, Wonnum tallied 23 sacks and 24 tackles for loss over 62 games played (31 starts) in Minnesota. The team let him walk in free agency following the 2023 campaign before signing Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to serve as its primary pass-rushers heading into 2024.
Greenard and Van Ginkel both put up the first Pro Bowl campaigns of their respective careers for the Vikings in 2024, as the team went 14-3 and made the playoffs. However, each player took something of a step back last season, and Greenard is now on the trade block after demanding a new contract.
Meanwhile, Wonnum landed with the Carolina Panthers on a two-year deal worth $12.5 million total. He played in 24 games for the Panthers over the past two seasons (23 starts), putting up seven total sacks and eight tackles for loss. Carolina made a playoff appearance in January, its first since 2017, and lost by just three points to the Los Angeles Rams.
Detroit inked Wonnum to a one-year deal on Tuesday, March 17.
“Former Panthers free-agent DE DJ Wonnum is signing a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with the Detroit Lions, per his agents Kevin Conner and Robert Brown of [Universal Sports Management],” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported via social media.
Vikings Continue Hunting Trade for Pass-Rusher Jonathan Greenard
GettyPass-rusher Jonathan Greenard of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions’ decision to sign Wonnum probably takes them out of the trade conversation for Greenard, who would have been a higher-end option and probably a surer bet to fill Detroit’s needs across the line from superstar defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
But the market for Greenard is still reasonable, as two NFC East Division teams — the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys — have expressed interest in his services at the Vikings’ asking price of a Day 2 pick.
Just like Wonnum, Greenard will play next season at 29 years old. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 18th-best edge defender in 2025 out of a total of 115 players who saw enough snaps to qualify.
Greenard recorded 22 quarterback hits as well as 18 tackles for loss and 12 sacks for Minnesota two years ago. He tallied 47 quarterback pressures, 10 tackles for loss and three sacks across 12 games in 2025 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
Vikings Signed Bills Offensive Tackle Ryan Van Demark Tuesday
GettyFormer Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark (left).
On the offensive side of the football, Minnesota signed a left tackle away from the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday.
“The Vikings have signed OT Ryan Van Demark, a restricted free agent who has started six games for the Bills over the past two seasons, to an offer sheet,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on social media. “The Bills have the right of first refusal, but the Vikings wouldn’t owe the Bills any draft pick compensation if they don’t.”
In other words, Buffalo can choose to match the one-year, $3.52 million offer sheet Minnesota extended to Van Demark and keep him, or not and watch him land with the Vikings as a backup to Christian Darrisaw who has battled knee issues that have cost him a total of 17 games over the past two years.
Lions Sign Recent Vikings Breakout Pass-Rusher to Multiyear Deal: Report