The Josh Metellus Extension and The Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

The Josh Metellus extension, per the recent word, is under construction.
Good.
The team captain has proven to be an absolute bargain on his current deal, a two-year commitment worth a total of $8 million. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did a nice job of getting ahead of the sticks with that contract, paying a special teams stud before he morphed into a defensive stud. The time has come for a hearty raise, but that need is colliding with a glaring issue.
The Josh Metellus Extension & The 2026 Budget
Earlier in the offseason, Mr. Metellus was asked about the prospect of putting pen to paper on a new deal.
Metellus didn’t get tangled up, deflecting the question a bit while insisting that his agent is taking care of things: “That’s private matters.” He goes on to say that “for the most part, that’s private” while then saying he prefers to keep these conversations among family, his agent, and the general manager. He does, however, describe his goal: “I would love to be here my whole career.” The takeaway is simply that he’s focused on playing strong football while nevertheless acknowledging that he wants to be extended.
Oh, and another thing: the shirt he’s wearing in the presser reads, “Can’t believe you doubted me.” A good reminder that the No. 205 pick has overcome a decent bit in his career.

A 6th-Round selection from 2020, Metellus has distinguished himself as one of the game’s preeminent chess pieces, following in Harrison Smith’s footsteps.
Last season, Josh Metellus again played in all seventeen games. He did so while picking up 991 defensive snaps and 210 special teams snaps. The statistics show 103 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 6 QB hits, 2 interceptions, 5 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.
In 2023 — the first year with Brian Flores calling the shots — Josh Metellus offered a similar degree of excellence. The safety again played in all seventeen games, piling up 1,065 defensive snaps alongside 194 special teams snaps. The statistics ended up at 116 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 10 QB hits, 7 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 5 passes defended, and a whopping 4 forced fumbles.
Do note, as well, that Mr. Metellus gets shuffled around all over the defense. He was most commonly in the box in 2024, picking up 512 snaps in that spot. So, too, did he get a lot of work in the slot (330 snaps). Rounding things out are 90 snaps at free safety, 63 snaps along the d-line, and 33 snaps as a wide corner.

So, where’s the issue? Josh Metellus is an excellent veteran who fits perfectly within his DC’s scheme. He wants a new extension but isn’t creating a ruckus to acquire one. What’s the problem?
Jump ahead to the 2026 budget. The team is sitting on $53.7 million in debt, landing at 31st in the NFL for cap space next offseason (besting only the Saints, an annual salary cap disaster). Metellus finds his name included in the list of players for 2026 but his cap hit comes in at … $0.
Currently, there are trio of voids years baked into Josh Metellus’ deal. The tactic — adding void years — is common practice for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah since it allows the GM to stretch out signing bonus money, thereby lessening cap hits in the short term. The peculiar detail with Metellus is merely that no cap hits have been parked into the future.
The Josh Metellus extension will therefore get tossed onto what is already a huge debt pile. When a number sits at zero, there’s nowhere to go but up, right?*
The stud defender is going to get a decent raise; he has more than earned it. The problem is simply that doing so could drop the Vikings to dead last for cap space in the 2026 offseason.
* Per OTC, an extension has the capacity to somehow clear up cap space in 2026, but the precise way that that would function is unclear given that the ’26 budget doesn’t have any Metellus money on the books. Once a new deal gets done, we’ll learn a bit more.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

Dismissed Vikings Starter Moving into a Murky Future
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.