Tight end Josh Oliver, Vikings agree to terms on three-year contract extension

Less than an hour before Vikings players were to begin a three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, the team agreed to a three-year contract extension with tight end Josh Oliver.

Oliver, the 6-foot-5, 259-pound bulldozer known for his blocking, was entering the final season of a three-year, $21 million deal he signed during 2023 free agency.

His new deal is worth up to $27.5 million, according to an NFL source.

“It’s huge just as a football player having job security and just also being in a place you really love, an organization that’s doing great things,” Oliver said after practice. “I’m super happy.”

Oliver added that the extension had been “in the works” throughout the offseason and just came to the finish line.

The extension provides the Vikings a layer of security by signing their top two tight ends, T.J. Hockenson and Oliver, through at least 2027.

The deal also rewards Oliver, a former 2019 third-round pick by the Jaguars who developed into a reliable blocker during his time with the Baltimore Ravens.

Oliver, 28, has steadily grown his role over two years in Minnesota. He has been one of the game’s best blockers and also dabbled more as a receiver. He has matched his career-high 22 receptions each of the past two years, including a career-high 258 receiving yards last season.

Oliver’s presence becomes increasingly important as coach Kevin O’Connell aims to run the ball more effectively alongside new quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

“We’ve got weapons everywhere,” Oliver said. “We got J.J. It’s gonna be a fun time to get out there this year.”

Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw returned to on-field action Tuesday for the first time since late October when he suffered a season-ending left knee injury. He wore a large brace on top of a leg sleeve on his left leg.

Darrisaw participated in individual drills with the offensive line group and some work with tight ends. He did not take part in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 periods and left the field about 1 hour, 15 minutes into practice.

Darrisaw suffered damage to both his ACL and MCL when he took a hit from a Rams defender in the Vikings’ Week 8 loss last season. He had surgery to repair the damage.

The Vikings signed Cam Robinson at the trade deadline to replace Darrisaw through the back half of last season.

Robinson went to the Texans in free agency, and the Vikings signed Buccaneers tackle Justin Skule to add depth to the room. Skule has played left tackle during team periods in Darrisaw’s absence so far throughout OTAs.

Right guard Will Fries, who’s also working back from an in-season right tibia injury last year playing for the Colts, made an appearance late Tuesday but was not in uniform and did not practice. He also wore a leg sleeve.

As for other injured players, rookie tight end Gavin Bartholomew participated early in individual drills but eventually moved to work with training staff on the side as he has recent days of OTAs. Wide receiver Rondale Moore, who had a season-ending knee injury last year, worked exclusively to the side with training staff.

Safety Josh Metellus put no rush on his own contract extension, saying after Tuesday’s practice that his representatives and the Vikings are “doing things how they’re supposed to.”

Once again on Tuesday, Metellus participated only in full-team drills, sitting out defensive back and 7-on-7 sessions. He declined to say whether he’d continue to limit his participation in training camp in lieu of a new contract.

“I haven’t got there yet,” Metellus said. “I’m going to be where my feet are.”

Metellus, a 2020 sixth-round pick, has outplayed a two-year, $8 million signed contract before the 2023 season when he became a full-time starting defender. He was asked whether seeing other teammates sign deals makes him anxious for his own. The Vikings inked Oliver on Tuesday and previously signed linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel to a one-year extension in April.

“I’m never anxious, man,” Metellus said. “I did the work the past two years. Whatever I did is out there; my tape is my tape. Me being anxious ain’t going to change what I did on the field. It’s going to play itself out. It always has been. I think I was more anxious when I got cut [in 2020] and didn’t have a job. I know what kind of player I am in this league. I’ve shown that and I’m only growing.”

Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.

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