Vikings O-Line Rental Lands Generous New Deal Elsewhere

This offseason has been one about building in the trenches for the Minnesota Vikings. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has spent a substantial amount of money on both the offensive and defensive lines.

After signing Christian Darrisaw to a contract extension last season, Kevin O’Connell has his offensive bookends set with him and Brian O’Neill. They upgraded the middle with two former Colts, Will Fries and Ryan Kelly.

Initially, there was some thought toward whether or not last year’s midseason tackle pickup, Cam Robinson, may be of interest to Minnesota, at guard, but moving inside for less money never made sense for the 6’6″ 335 lb giant.

Robinson filled in rather admirably for Darrisaw, after the future Pro Bowler had his season end one a knee injury vs the Detroit Lions, posting a 60.5 PFF grade with the Vikings, which was bolstered by his 67.8 pass block grade. He did allow a noticeably high 52 QB pressures in 2024, easily the highest of his career and second most of any offensive lineman in the league.

He was especially good early, allowing just one sack and zero hits on Sam Darnold through his first seven games in purple (weeks 9-15). Given Cam’s status as a starting left tackle for his entire eight-year NFL career, it was always most likely he would find greener pastures elsewhere.

Cam Robinson leaves Minnesota Vikings for Houston

As of Wednesday morning, Cam Robinson stood as the best available free agent on the market. That was until Wednesday afternoon, when the Houston Texans took him off the market with a one-year, $14 million deal to replace Laremy Tunsil as their starting left tackle in 2025.

The Texans are signing T Cam Robinson to a one-year deal worth between $12 million that can be worth up to $14.5 million, per source. pic.twitter.com/FABKkCmtIL

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 19, 2025

Between Jacksonville and Minnesota, Robinson started all 17 games last season. 10 of those starts came with the Vikings. Robinson owns a 75.8 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus dating back to 2022.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Free Agency Signings – 2025

The upcoming season will be Robinson’s ninth in the NFL. Houston is just his third NFL team after Jacksonville drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Robinson will turn 30 years old this year.

MN Vikings near-complete O-line overhaul

It was never expected that Robinson would return for Minnesota. He was just filling in for Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill has long cemented the right tackle spot. After Garrett Bradbury was released, and Ed Ingram was traded, the Minnesota Vikings have turned over virtually their entire offensive line.

Only Blake Brandel remains from the starting options last year. He will look to elevate his game learning from Fries and operating next to Kelly. With J.J. McCarthy taking the reigns under center, Minnesota is hoping a strong step forward up front can provide a better avenue towards success.

Related: MN Vikings Insider Names Two Veteran QBs to Watch

Robinson heading to the Texans continues a relative pipeline of Vikings that have Houston connections. Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman both joined Minnesota last year while Danielle Hunter went south.