4 Vikings News Updates from the Past Week
Usually, June is a slow time for NFL news. Nobody informed the Vikings.
Over these past few days, several Vikings news updates hit the headlines. Fans will be forgiven if they missed one or two (or the full cluster). After all, the league really is stepping into its slow portion of the calendar. Consider this piece a humble attempt to keep readers abreast on what has taken place.
4 Vikings News Updates
#1 — Josh Oliver Extended
Josh Oliver is an excellent player, someone who doesn’t get the credit he deserves due to playing alongside a prolific pass catcher in T.J. Hockenson.
The extension helps to keep Minnesota moving toward their self-stated goal of being able to win in multiple ways. The TE2 is a tremendous blocker, someone who helps the offense without needing a ton of touches. That’s the key, folks: being a critical piece of the puzzle without needing targets aplenty.
Read More: Vikings Surprise with Contract Extension
#2 — Christian Darrisaw Practising
One factor stands in the way of Christian Darrisaw being recognized as one of the NFL’s elite tackles: health, or lack thereof.
The left tackle has yet to play a full season in the NFL. If he can put the injury issues behind him, Mr. Darrisaw will start to get the league-wide recognition that he deserves. Seeing him get some on-field work is an excellent update. Even better will be if he’s out there in Week 1 to keep J.J. McCarthy’s jersey clean.
Read More: Surprise Rocks Vikings Minicamp
#3 — Roster Sees an Addition and Subtraction
A downside of sitting on a full roster is that every addition necessitates a subtraction.
The Vikings opted to bring Giovanni Ricci in to compete for a depth tight end gig. Only injury will move T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver off of their spots as the TE1 and TE2, so the battle rests in who will takeover for Johnny Mundt at TE3.
Making room for Ricci meant saying goodbye to outside linebacker Matt Harmon.
Read More: Vikings Sign 1 Player, Release Another
#4 — Josh Metellus Working Through a Hold-In
In a quick chat with the media, Josh Metellus confirms that he isn’t jumping into 7-on-7. The suggestion is that he’s holding-in, showing up to work but withholding some of his efforts as he works toward the extension he deserves.
At present, Mr. Metellus is moving into the final year of his contract. He’ll carry a $6,541,667 cap charge into the season if things remain untouched, but that looks very unlikely. Expect the 27-year-old to put pen to paper before too long since he’s following in the footsteps of Harrison Smith as the secondary’s ultra-versatile, intelligent leader at safety.
Read More: Vikings Defender Confirms Contract Drama
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference 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.
