The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their offseason with an impressive rookie class—nine draft picks and 19 undrafted free agents. But just three weeks into the journey, the team has already made some tough cuts, parting ways with two of those hopefuls.

The latest player to get the early exit is Jordan Botelho, an outside linebacker from Notre Dame. The Vikings announced Thursday that Botelho won't be returning for offseason workouts, making room for wide receiver Terrill Davis, who joins the squad to bolster the receiving corps.

Botelho, a Honolulu native, arrived at Notre Dame in 2020 as a four-star recruit. He quickly made his mark on special teams and steadily climbed the defensive depth chart over a six-year college career. In 62 games, he racked up 12.5 sacks, 97 tackles, and 16.5 tackles for loss. While he never fully locked down a starting role—aside from a brief stint in 2024 that ended after just three games due to injury—he did start several contests and proved his versatility.

As an undrafted rookie, Botelho was always facing an uphill battle to make the roster. Still, there was hope he could carve out a spot or at least land on the practice squad, especially given the Vikings' suddenly thin depth at outside linebacker following Jonathan Greenard's trade to the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Greenard—a 2024 Pro Bowler—out of the picture, Minnesota will turn to fellow Pro Bowler Andrew Van Ginkel and rising star Dallas Turner to hold down the edge. Turner, a first-round pick in 2024, is now being counted on to step up as a full-time starter in his third NFL season under defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Last year, Turner notched eight sacks and really came alive when Greenard was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Van Ginkel was outstanding when healthy, but he missed a handful of games in his second season with the Vikings, making depth at the position more critical than ever. For Botelho, the door closes quickly, but the NFL journey is far from over.