Another important piece for the Minnesota Vikings fell into place on Sunday night when the team agreed to terms with a specialist to return for his fourth season in a purple and gold jersey and prepare for the 2025 NFL season.
Before the agreement, the Vikings didn't have a punter on the roster and would need to either sign one in free agency or look for one in the 2025 NFL Draft. Thankfully, Minnesota will keep the trio together by bringing last season's punter back for another season.
Minnesota Vikings agree to terms to bring punter Ryan Wright back for 2025 season
NFL insider Tom Pelissero passed along the news in a post on X that the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with punter Ryan Wright on a one-year deal to keep him with the team through the 2025 NFL season.
Punter news: The #Vikings and Ryan Wright agreed to terms on one-year, $1.75 million deal, per source. Wright, who was scheduled to be a restricted free agent, can earn up to $2M with incentives. pic.twitter.com/TnDrBayikn
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2025
Wright joined the Vikings in 2022 and has been the team's starting punter ever since. Last season, he averaged 46.5 yards per punt, giving Minnesota 2,604 total punt yards and helping the team mightily in field position battles.
Ryan Wright re-joins All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola and placekicker Will Reichard as a returning trio of specialists where Wright also acts as the Vikings' holder on field goal and extra point attempts.
This signing won't get much fanfare from the team's faithful or the media, but it is an important step in getting ready for the upcoming season. Minnesota needs to fill the holes on the roster that would have potentially been left open if all potential free agents hit the market. This is another chip that had to fall to have a full roster for 2025.
Statistically, last year wasn't one of the best for Wright. He was 23rd in average yards per punt and 20th in total punt yards. However, continuity is important and this signing does not guarantee that Minnesota won't bring in competition during training camp or the preseason for the position.
The Minnesota Vikings still have a lot of salary cap space to spend this offseason. There will likely be more transactions coming in the next few days to prepare for the 2025 NFL season. Those signings will likely get fans a lot more excited than news about a punter, but it is great to see the team is working hard to fill out the roster get talent for head coach Kevin O'Connell this year.
