Garrett Bradbury holds 'no ill will' towards Vikings following his release

Former Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury says he holds "no ill will" towards his former team after they cut him earlier this offseason.

The 29-year-old center had spent the entirety of his six-year NFL career with the Vikings, who drafted him with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Bradbury started 88 games for Minnesota in that time, including all 17 in 2024.

Minnesota released Bradbury after signing former Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly to a two-year, $18 million deal at the start of free agency. The Vikings attempted to find a trade partner before cutting Bradbury, who signed with the New England Patriots on a two-year, $12 million deal shortly after his release from Minnesota.

"I had six great years in Minnesota. It's a great locker room," Bradbury told reporters in New England on Thursday. "Built some really great connections there and it ended. That's the business. You never want to feel comfortable, but that’s a wake-up call. That’s, ‘All right, here we go, that’s how they feel and they move on.’ There’s no ill will. I’m not bitter towards the Vikings. It’s just a new opportunity for me."

Now with the Patriots, Bradbury is looking forward to a new start to redefine his career.

"I think when there’s a change, if you don’t take that opportunity, you’re not going to grow from it," Bradbury said. "So it’s more about, ‘All right, I get to reinvent myself, I get to reprove myself.' And the minute you think you have it figured out, you’re gone. So new team, new chapter, new offense — what can I bring? And you have to bring it every day.

"That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned — meeting room, practice, weight room. So not even a wake-up call, but it’s just new. It’s exciting. It’s a fresh start. New opportunity.”

If reports are true, Bradbury may be in for a quick return to Minnesota. Numerous reports came out late in March that stated the Vikings were looking to host both the Los Angeles Rams and Patriots in two separate joint-practice sessions this fall during training camp. New Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, when asked why he was looking to partake in a joint-practice in Minnesota, said he was looking forward to "cheese curds" and the Vikings' "beautiful facility."

Vrabel has previous experience in joint-practices with the Vikings, having brought his Tennessee Titans team to TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minn., in 2023, ahead of a preseason game between Tennessee and Minnesota.