The Minnesota Vikings and the $19.5 Million Question
The Minnesota Vikings will soon confront a riddle or two. Not as dire as coming across a Sphinx, but still some tough situations to work through in 2026.
One such difficulty will rest in the best path forward with right tackle Brian O’Neill, an excellent payer who hasn’t garnered the praise he deserves from a league-wide perspective. He’ll be entering the final season of his contract, one that saw Rick Spielman hand over a whopping $92.5 million. The initial sticker shock quickly dissolved as it became clear Mr. O’Neill was more than worth it. Can he avoid getting the axe at some point early on in 2026?
The Minnesota Vikings, RT Brian O’Neill, & The $19.5M
The appeal of cutting O’Neill is obvious. Doing so would mean alleviating a significant portion of the cap debt.
The high-level athlete first came to town in 2018, scooped up at No. 62 as an upside option who was supposed to be given time to develop. Instead, he got tossed into the starting lineup as a rookie, proving to be up to the challenge. Not just an athlete with a great build, Mr. O’Neill is a great leader who offers excellent compete and ruggedness.
Shifting from 2018 to 2025 leaves the observer with the same impression of Brian O’Neill.
Now with a “C” on his chest, Mr. O’Neill is entrenched in his status as being among the Vikings’ best players and leaders. He has successfully bridged the gap between the former days (Rick Spielman & Mike Zimmer) to the current days (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah & Kevin O’Connell). What has allowed him to survive the talent exodus that accompanied the regime change is his ability to continue improving.
The 30-year-old offensive tackle can offer sturdy blocking when Minnesota is looking to run the ball and protect the passer. The current assessment on PFF — an 81.1 grade — sees O’Neill coming in at 12th among the 82 tackles under consideration. That grade gets compiled from an 84.7 run blocking grade alongside a 76.8 pass blocking grade. There have been 2 sacks and 17 pressures allowed. A half dozen penalties, too.
In 2024, O’Neill had a 79.3 grade. In 2023, there was a 74.5 grade. In 2022, O’Neill had his best ever season on PFF, offering an 82.7 grade. Consistent excellence has been the name of the game in recent years, which has been a continuation of what he did under Zimmer and Spielman.
In theory, the Vikings should be keen to keep O’Neill. After all, tremendous offensive tackles aren’t easy to find, so teams tend to hang on when a good one arrives. The lone issue is the financial context.
There’s no single player who can give back as much cap space with a cut in 2026. Brian O’Neill therefore stands out as being uniquely capable of alleviating the cap crunch. There’s no complexity to the relief. Just show a player the door and reap the financial rewards. Easy, right?
In some ways, absolutely. In other ways, not at all.
Cutting O’Neill would create an opening at right tackle, one of the most important spots in football. Inserting Justin Skule (the current OT3), Walter Rouse (a sophomore who appears to be slipping), or someone else would involve gaining plenty of ground financially. The level of play would fall off a cliff, though. Is the financial juice worth the on-field squeeze?
Another option would be to extend O’Neill. Doing so comes with a pair of benefits. The cap space could see $14.16 million liberated. That’s an excellent boost. Minnesota would then have the benefit of keeping the right tackle around for a while longer.
The towering tackle stands at 6’7″ and is listed as being 310 pounds. He ran a 4.82 forty coming into the NFL, a blistering time for a large lad.
Next up for the Vikings is a Giants game on Sunday, December 21st. New York is a terrible football team with excellent talent up front. Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter, and Brian Burns are fantastic football players.
The Vikings’ offensive line is going to have its hands full, meaning O’Neill will yet again need to be tremendous for Minnesota to keep J.J. McCarthy off the turf.
