The Minnesota Vikings have finally built a roster in the image Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell planned for when they arrived in 2022.
Finally out from under the cap constraints of Kirk Cousins' contract, the Vikings overhauled the offensive line to plug a young quarterback behind in J.J. McCarthy.
They selected Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson in the first round of the draft and invested $105 million in signing former Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries (five-year, $87 million contract) and center Ryan Kelly (two-year, $18 million).
These addition have the Vikings offensive line on the brink of a top five ranking in the NFL, but they've also called into question a previous free-agent signing in the final year of his contract.
After the 2025 offseason improvements to the offensive line, the Vikings could view Josh Oliver obsolete moving forward. He's in the final year of a three-year, $21 million contract after being signed for his prowess as a run-blocker.
KSTP's Darren Wolfson reported that there has been no momentum on an Oliver extension, and that the 28-year-old tight end is content with testing free agency.
“I think, at this point, Josh Oliver hits unrestricted free agency next March, which my understanding, is he would be okay with," Wolfson said on a June 5 appearance on SKOR North.
With Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson and Oliver under contract for the 2025 season, the Vikings rank second in total cap spent ($26.3 million) and have the highest cap percentage (12.1%) sunk at the position.
Oliver ranked as the 21st best tight end in the league by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
“If there were a fantasy football league that prioritized run blocking, Oliver would be one of the first off the board,” PFF’s John Kosko wrote on May 29. “His 76.5 PFF run-blocking grade over the past two seasons ranks second at the position, behind George Kittle, and his 77.2 PFF overall grade ranks eighth.”
Oliver still offers immense value at his position, but given he is content with testing free agency, the Vikings may be outbid given they may want to invest at other positions with the improvments they made elsewhere on the offensive line.
"He’s moved around already. He sure likes it here, he is banking on himself having a good year this year, then being in a position to sign a third contract, maybe even back here. But not signing a contract extension like before training camp," Wolfson added. "I don’t think that is happening unless things change. But right now, in the moment, no movement on the Josh Oliver front.”
