With the Stroke of a Pen, The Vikings Opted for Violent Ruggedness
The Vikings offense isn’t lacking for skilled players.
All of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones are capable of popping off to take over a game. So, too, do players like Jordan Mason, Jalen Nailor, and even rookie Tai Felton offer their own intrigue.
What’s needed, then, isn’t someone who demands the ball. Rather, find someone who can help the offense succeed without needing the ball.
The Vikings opted for that precise outcome when they decided to tack on three more years to the contract for tight end Josh Oliver. Consider some of the specific details, courtesy of The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport: “It’s a 3-year, $23.25M deal with a max value of $27.5M, including 19.9M in total guarantees, source said.”
The Vikings Opted for Violence When Extending Josh Oliver
Now, a few words about that potentially troubling word: violence.
By no means should any coach, player, writer, or fan celebrate and/or endorse injury. Doing so would qualify as a violation of basic decency. Yes, football is a violent, physical sport, one that leads to players needing to spend time in the infirmary with a certain degree of regularity. Don’t ever forget, though, that we’re talking about human beings, people who have lives outside of the sport and who have families that care about them.
Genuinely, folks, don’t ever cheer for an injury. Hard, clean hits? Sure, that’s part of the sport. Intentionally wanting to see someone get hurt? Too far.
Think back to the way that Adrian Peterson would run with the football. That’s a productive form of violence. Or, perhaps, how Antoine Winfield used to tackle. Again, a positive example. Ezra Cleveland looking for work before walloping a pass rusher on the shoulder pads? Seeing Xavier Rhodes pop a receiver on the line of scrimmage with a strong press to the chest? Ivan Pace shooting a gap to chase down a runner? Good stuff all around.
Consider, for instance, an example of what we’re considering in the words from Kevin O’Connell. The team’s head coach sees new right guard Will Fries as one of these players, someone who pushes the physicality to a point where he can intimidate opponents.
“I think Will Fries,” O’Connell explains, “he’s a mauling, kind of finisher-type player. The saying ‘the echo of the whistle,’ I would imagine there are some defensive players that would challenge me that’s it’s beyond the echo of the whistle. But that’s kind of a play style thing.”
Fries, in theory, should be complementing the play style that Josh Oliver has been offering for a couple seasons.
Essentially, the Vikings will be looking for Oliver to block defensive backs into oblivion. Once the TE2 gets his mitts on a safety or corner, then it should be game over when it comes to clearing a running lane. The upside with Oliver is that the tight end can also dance with linebackers and even edge rushers. Quite often, Oliver can win those matchups.
Not all tight ends can say the same, folks.
Last season, Josh Oliver put together 22 catches, 258 yards, and 3 touchdowns. All of those numbers either tie or surpass previous career highs. Again, though, there’s that central detail: the Vikings offense does not need more skilled pass catchers. What is needed are players who can help the offense to gain an edge without the ball in their hands.
One wonders if Josh Oliver’s role begins to evolve in 2025. No, that doesn’t necessarily mean catching passes aplenty. Rather, one thinks about picking up some snaps as a fullback, helping to shoulder some of that burden since C.J. Ham is moving into the final year of his contract and is older (Ham will be 32 in July).
Oliver is a better athlete than a lot of people realize. Hockenson gets more praise in this facet of football since he’s the main pass catcher, but Oliver isn’t a slouch. He can move around. Seeing him be a lead blocker a time or two for a runner won’t be a total surprise.
Josh Oliver finished up as PFF’s 9th-best tight end in 2024, mirroring his 9th-place finish following his debut season as a Viking in 2023. Continuing to offer top-ten play at tight end will mean that Minnesota boasts perhaps the best tight end duo in the NFL.
Going into 2025, Mr. Oliver was supposed to be carrying a $9,424,000 cap charge. The extension is a near certainty to lower the hit in the ’25 budget.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
