The Minnesota Vikings just made a significant move in the margins, bringing back linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. on a short-term value contract for the 2026 season.
Pace signed the $3.52 million tender Minnesota placed on him as a restricted free agent following a three-year run with the Vikings as a formerly undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati in 2023.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the news via an X post on Monday, April 20.
🏈Vikings restricted free agent LB Ivan Pace signed his tender today, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln.
🏈Packers exclusive rights free agent WR Bo Melton also signed his tender today.
“NFC North updates: 🏈 Vikings restricted free agent LB Ivan Pace signed his tender today, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln,” Schefter wrote. “🏈 [Green Bay] Packers exclusive rights free agent WR Bo Melton also signed his tender today.”
Ivan Pace Jr.’s Career on Downward Trajectory Since Breakout Rookie Campaign With Vikings
GettyMinnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (left) and defensive coordinator Brian Flores (right).
Pace exploded onto the NFL scene three years ago, coming out of essentially nowhere to appear in all 17 games as a rookie and start 11 of those contests. Pro Football Focus ranked Pace the 17th-best linebacker in the league that season out of 83 players at the position who saw enough defensive snaps to qualify.
Pace appeared in 11 games, making 10 starts, the following campaign. However, a hamstring issue that led to the injured reserve list (IR) cut his sophomore season short.
Last year proved a trying one for Pace, as he struggled mightily in coverage for the second straight season, while his run defense took a significant step back as well. He finished just three spots out of last place in coverage grades for 88 qualifying linebackers.
In 2024, despite being borderline elite against the run and in the pass rush for his position, Pace ranked 82nd in coverage out of 83 LBs who qualified.
The resulting trajectory of Pace’s career has seen him play 704 defensive snaps as a rookie, 412 snaps in 11 games during his second season and just 324 snaps across 17 appearances (six starts) in 2025. Pace played 333 snaps on special teams last season compared to just 88 the year prior.
All told, Pace has played in 45 games for the Vikings across his three-year career and started 27 of those contests, though the path he has tread up to this point indicates he will serve primarily in a special teams/reserve linebacker role for Minnesota in 2026.
Eric Wilson Stole Starting Job From Ivan Pace Jr. Last Season
GettyLinebacker Eric Wilson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Veteran linebacker Eric Wilson was the player who stepped up and usurped Pace’s role as a starter last season. Minnesota then rewarded Wilson with a three-year contract worth $22.5 million in free agency.
That deal for Wilson, by far the most significant of his nine-year career, appeared as though it would lead to Pace’s release. But the Vikings didn’t take that path, instead placing the $3.5 million tender on Pace, which allowed Minnesota first right of refusal if he garnered a better offer on the open market.
No such offer came, which resulted in Pace returning to the Vikings on Monday for at least one more season in 2026.
Wilson also began his career with Minnesota as an undrafted rookie, though he did so in 2017. He played for the Vikings over four seasons before splitting the 2021 campaign between the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans.
Green Bay employed Wilson for the last three years before he reunited with the Vikings in 2025, appearing in 17 games and earning 16 starts. All told, Wilson has played 3,727 defensive snaps in the NFL compared to 2,115 snaps on special teams.
Vikings’ 27-Game Starter Returns to Minnesota on Value Deal: Report