The main focus in Minnesota right now is keeping this 5-0 team in the Super Bowl contenders bracket. However, other stories are bubbling under the surface, and one of them is the future of Vikings right guard Will Fries.

One Vikings Player Needs To Earn His Contract for Next Season

The Vikings have put a lot of resources over a number of years into solving their interior offensive line problem. It’s something they just can’t seem to get right and the big swing they took last year isn’t working the way they had planned. Donovan Jackson has the potential to be an excellent left guard but his second season was abruptly ended by injury in Week 4. Ryan Kelly had only one injury-plagued season in Minnesota before he decided to retire, and the huge free-agent swing the team made on Will Fries isn’t looking like good value right now.

Fries hasn’t been terrible, and he hasn’t missed a game since signing while the rest of the Vikings OL has been like a revolving door. The issue comes with the size of the contract Fries is playing on. Former Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah handed him a massive five-year contract worth over $87 million that runs to the end of the 2029 season.

It was a risk on a player who had only shown a small window of excellent play before a broken leg ended his 2024 season. At the moment, the risk isn’t paying off as Fries is playing at an average level, which is a greater sample size than the level the Vikings gambled on.

Fries in Year 2

Fries is working in Year 2 in Minnesota with a whole season behind him since his injury, a year to acclimate to his new team and scheme, and a healthier offensive line around him. The stage was set for him to kick on but we are still waiting for that hoped-for leap. So far this season, Fries has allowed 10 pressures and 2 sacks through just five games. That’s anything but improvement, with a pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus of just 52.1. That’s gone from middling performances last season to below average.

Minnesota is looking like they’re going to commit more consistently to the run as they search for more consistency on offense, which should help Fries. It has always been his strongest area and he is performing solidly there this season with a run blocking grade of 64.0. Still, he can improve there if that’s going to be the stronger side of his game. Another area of his game that needs to be better is penalties; he has drawn two penalty flags through five games.

The Future

The remaining 12 games of this season are going to be hugely important for Fries and his future in Minnesota. The reason? There is an out in his contract for Minnesota where Fries is guaranteed $10 million on March 15, 2027 if he is still on the roster (OTC).

Minnesota can save that money and $9.5 million in cap space if they cut ties before then. Of course, there will still be a dead cap hit for next season of $12 million but with a new GM in charge cutting ties with the previous regime’s failure is easier.

Donovan Jackson’s injury has given Joe Huber the chance to audition for a permanent starting role over the remainder of the season. Could Huber get kicked over to right guard next year? Alternatively, the Vikings could make a move before the trade deadline for someone who could turn into a long-term solution.

Either way, as it stands right now, moving on from Fries at the end of this season is a valid conversation to be having and the only man who can stop that is Fries himself.

Guard isn’t a flashy position where a player is expected to produce highlight reel clips every game. The Vikings need Fries to stop losing enough one-on-one reps and making mistakes that make his position become noticeable. He is now 22 games into his Vikings career and that bar still hasn’t been cleared consistently. That’s not good enough for a man being paid what he is.

The time to change the story is running out; Will Fries has 12 games (plus potential playoff games) to secure his Vikings future.