Vikings’ TE2 a Prime Candidate for an Extension to Stick Around Minnesota
Signing Josh Oliver, the Vikings’ TE2, was a pretty major surprise. After all, T.J. Hockenson had just been added to function as the high-end TE1.
A couple seasons on from that decision, though, has offered some more clarity. Oliver is a blocking bully who can make the occasional play or two in the passing game. He is, in other words, exactly what the offense needs. There are pass catchers aplenty – Hockenson, Jefferson, Addison – but the muscle is sometimes lacking up front. Does Minnesota’s front office do a deal with Oliver since the TE2 is moving into the final year of his deal?
Vikings’ TE2 Josh Oliver and The Potential for a New Deal
Guaranteed: Oliver’s teammates appreciate the work he does.
Standing alongside an offensive tackle to help corral one of the game’s most dangerous pass rushers is difficult work but something Oliver can do. So, too, can he clear lanes for a runner to gain more yardage. He also functions as a large target with good athleticism for a passer who needs somewhere to go with the ball.
These are all parts of his game that teammates appreciate. One has to think that the Vikings feel like they can stand a little taller with Oliver on the field.
Left untouched, Josh Oliver is carrying a $9,424,000 cap hit into the 2025 season. A hearty cap hit, no doubt. The deal was structured in such a way as to lessen the cap charges in 2023 and 2024 before seeing a decent rise in the final year of 2025.
Simply cutting the tight end would mean gaining back more than $5.1 million in cap space. The problem with that approach is that it opens a roster hole that would need to be filled. Doesn’t an extension make more sense for the 27-year-old playmaker (he’ll turn 28 in March)?
He’s coming off a season where he turned 28 targets into 22 catches for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns. Along the way, Oliver picked up fourteen 1st downs. PFF gave him a rock-solid 74.3 grade for his efforts, which comes in at 9th among the 75 qualifying tight ends.
If Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opts for an extension, then Josh Oliver’s contract has the potential to liberate close to $5.5 million in cap space for 2025. That’s money that could be used for all kinds of needs (corner, defensive tackle, and guard foremost among them).
Even better, Oliver would keep calling Minnesota home a little while longer.
The tight end stands at 6’5” and weighs close to 260 pounds. Look for him to be a priority to keep around.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.