A Minnesota Vikings fan regarded on intently on Sept. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through the second half of the matchup towards the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Financial institution Stadium. The afternoon crowd mirrored a mixture of anticipation and frustration as the sport’s momentum shifted late, leaving followers hanging on each possession in one other tense home-field showdown. Necessary Credit score: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Pictures.
Greatest guess on this finish of the web is that Vikings defender Ivan Tempo Jr. is going through a troublesome battle to get onto the ultimate roster. Minnesota would doubtless be eager to take part in a commerce. That’s removed from gospel fact, although.
Mr. Tempo is a 25-year-old linebacker who presents a pile of aggression and physicality. Coaches, as Mike Zimmer used to say, would “rather say whoa than go.” Principally, coaches would somewhat have to restrain a participant working with an excessive amount of compete than encourage any person who doesn’t seem significantly motivated.
Add all of it up and there’s a lot to love in Tempo. He’s a homegrown expertise who’s younger and who has the potential to enhance. Higher but, his mentality seems perfectly-suited for all times working below the tutelage of Brian Flores.
With all of that being stated, what of the subtraction chatter?
Demoted Vikings Defender Ivan Tempo Jr. in Hazard of Subtraction
All alongside, Tempo has been doubted, largely attributable to being a smaller participant.
Wanting again, there’s merely no method he ought to have fallen out of the 2023 NFL Draft. Seeing a redo happen would contain the blitzing specialist going fairly excessive. Not a 1st and probably not any person for the 2nd or third, however the 4th or fifth would characterize good worth. Bringing him to city as an undrafted participant was an occasion of freeway theft from former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Tempo Jr. kneels quietly ultimately zone throughout pregame moments, with Dec 25, 2025 set at U.S. Financial institution Stadium in Minneapolis as gamers put together for a Christmas Day matchup towards the Detroit Lions, capturing a targeted and reflective scene earlier than kickoff in a divisional showdown. Necessary Credit score: Matt Krohn-Imagn Pictures
Since being promoted to a beginning place as a rookie, Tempo has been slowly declining. Or, a minimum of, his portion of the pie has decreased, leaving him with much less and fewer snaps.
Contemplate simply his general snap depend on protection throughout his three years:
2023: 706
2024: 414
2025: 323
Clearly, that’s a discouraging development. Making issues even worse is that Tempo was concerned in all seventeen video games in 2025 versus simply eleven in 2024. Not solely did he play much less snaps, however Tempo performed much less snaps whereas enjoying six extra video games.
One other issue to contemplate is the broader harm turmoil for the ’25 Flores protection. Guys like Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, and Josh Metellus all missed time. In concept, that ought to have created extra work for Tempo.
I acknowledge {that a} pair of these gamers are edge rushers and one a security, however the Flores protection entails shuffling aplenty. Metellus, as an example, is often tasked with enjoying linebacker. Not having Metellus due to this fact creates a necessity for any person to eat into these linebacker snaps (akin to a linebacker).
After which not having Greenard and Van Ginkel for some video games meant transferring Eric Wilson as much as edge rusher. Seeing Wilson vacate his regular off-ball linebacker spot didn’t result in a serious increase in enjoying time for Tempo.
Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Tempo Jr. (0) returns a fumble 36 yards for a landing as linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) look to dam towards the Detroit Lions through the fourth quarter at U.S. Financial institution Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Pictures.
Per Over the Cap, Ivan Tempo is demanding a $3.52 million cap hit in 2026. None of that cash would get left behind as useless cash in both of a reduce or a commerce.
Greatest guess is {that a} reduce isn’t going to occur. Added cap house is all the time to be coveted, however Minnesota may have already moved on had there been a want so as to add cap room. What seems extra doubtless is a willingness to maneuver on from Tempo if any person presents a Day 3 choose. In that situation, the Vikings defender would give again cap house whereas additional fortifying the draft ammo.
In any other case, Tempo will be stored round because the LB4 behind Cashman, Wilson, and Jake Golday. He can present enchancment (slicing down on missed tackles and never getting eviscerated when in cross protection) in order to demand a contract in Minnesota. Or he’ll be allowed to stroll subsequent offseason, placing a comp choose on the board.
Ivan Tempo, 25, hasn’t seen the ultimate chapter of his story written. He’s however needing to beat the type of doubt that made him such an interesting story as an undrafted expertise who shortly proved able to shining within the NFL.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. E mail: ok.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
