Vikings Make Their No-Brainer Move for Star Offensive Lineman
The Minnesota Vikings have had a steadily improving offensive line over the past few years, and a big reason for that is left tackle Christian Darrisaw.
Courtesy of Rick Spielman’s final first-round selection for the Vikings, Minnesota was able to land the stalwart tackle with the 23rd overall pick back in the 2021 NFL Draft. Even better, that selection came after a trade down the board with the New York Jets.
Now, just days after the 2024 NFL Draft concluded, the Vikings have made a no-brainer move of their offseason, exercising Darrisaw’s fifth-year option for the 2025 season.
Christian Darrisaw Gets His Fifth-Year Option
The Vikings released a statement via a tweet on Monday afternoon, which read, “The #Vikings have exercised the 5th-year option on [Christian Darrisaw].
While initial rookie contracts are always four years in length, prior to a first-round pick’s fourth season, teams have the ability to extend a fifth-year option onto their contracts, retaining an additional year of team control. The added benefit of selecting a player in the first round rather than later on in the draft.
Last season, the Vikings made this same decision regarding WR Justin Jefferson, which likely took no thought at all after he won the NFC Offensive Player of the Year award by recording 128 receptions and 1809 receiving yards.
Some even better news for the Vikings is that Darrisaw’s fifth-year option will come relatively cheap compared to some of the other offensive tackles in his draft class. This is because, despite being one of the better left tackles in the entire NFL over the past couple years, he still is yet to make a Pro Bowl.
As a result, while Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater will cost the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers $19.04 million for their fifth years, the Vikings will only need to pay $16.037 million to keep Darrisaw around in 2025.
Darrisaw’s option will be based on his playing time, seeing as he’s played at least 50% of the Vikings’ snaps over his first three seasons.
With Minnesota’s left tackle officially locked in through the 2025 season, now the discussion will begin to revolve around an eventual contract extension to keep him with the Vikings organization for years to come.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.