Vikings Evidently Employ a Luxury Player
The Minnesota Vikings have built a strong foundation for the next two or three years, especially if quarterback J.J. McCarthy can live up to the expectations of a tenth overall pick. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has hired various reinforcements this offseason to prepare his team for battle.
Vikings Evidently Employ a Luxury Player
Many of those newcomers fill massive needs like pass-rushing defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, or interior blockers Will Fries and Ryan Kelly.
One guy he hired in 2023, however, might be a luxury. At least that’s the label ESPN’s Bill Barnwell gave him. He accumulated a list of 11 luxury players in specialized roles, and tight end Josh Oliver is his luxury player in the category of blocking tight end.
He explained his list: “Let’s celebrate what I like to refer to as the NFL’s luxury players. No organization builds a roster prioritizing its swing tackle or fourth wide receiver, but it can sure be useful to have in a weekly game plan. These players might have been limited to one role or certain snaps.”
Barnwell wrote about Oliver, “It’s clear that the Vikings see their second tight end as a critical part of the offense. As I was working on this piece, they signed Oliver to a three-year, $23.3 million extension, which would seem to be a lofty figure for a player with 701 career receiving yards across six NFL seasons with three different teams. It’s the second time the Vikings have paid Oliver, who joined the team on a three-year, $21 million deal two years ago.”
Indeed, signing Oliver based on his receiving pedigree is rather crazy, but that’s not what the Vikings did. They signed the former Jaguar and Raven in 2023 to be an asset as a blocker with occasional receiving plays.
“The numbers back up the idea that Oliver is an elite blocker. He ranked fourth among eligible tight ends in ESPN’s run block win rate a year ago, finishing just behind a former teammate in now-Jaguars tight end Johnny Mundt. NFL Next Gen Stats credited Oliver with only two pressures allowed across 55 pass-blocking snaps, producing a pressure rate that was just about half the league average among tight ends.”
Oliver manhandles defensive backs and linebackers, and he can even match up against mean edge rushers who generally require an offensive tackle to be slowed down.
“Is that worth more than $7 million per year in a market where good blockers such as Mundt ($2.8 million) and Chris Manhertz ($1.4 million, Giants) are making way less?”
Both the initial signing and the extension have raised eyebrows in the Twin Cities.
“It’s tough to say. Oliver is just good enough of a receiver to give teams pause when he’s running routes up the seam and off play-action boot concepts. Combine that with great blocking and he’s a very useful player, one who lined up on just about half of the offensive snaps for the Vikings in 2024. As teams lean further into 12 personnel groupings, Oliver and John Bates (Commanders) could end up as undervalued examples of an archetype seeing the field more than ever before.”
The Vikings have yet to have a good running game under Kevin O’Connell, but Oliver is certainly not the problem. This year, with the improved offensive line and a young quarterback under center who might require a bigger focus on the ground game, he might be more of a difference-maker in that area.
In two years with the Vikings, Oliver has played in 34 games, producing over 200 yards in each season. His previous best was 149. He also caught five of his seven career touchdowns with the Vikings.
Oliver is a specialist, and paying such a player that much money is controversial. The Vikings definitely like him more than the average fan who prefers receivers at the tight end position. The good news is that the club has one of those, too.
Minnesota’s TE2 is signed through the 2028 season.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.