The Vikings’ Problem That’s Costing (Roughly) $320 Million
Want to build a first-rate offensive line? Ain’t going to come cheap, folks.
The Vikings’ problems along the offensive line have been an ongoing issue for a little while. The team’s leadership decided that the 2025 offseason was the time to address things in a robust manner, leading to significant investments up front. So far, the front five hasn’t been rewarding the team in a manner that’s commensurate with the compensation.
The Vikings’ Problem is Pricey
First, a word of caution.
The effort from an o-line doesn’t exist completely unhindered by factors outside of itself. If, for instance, the quarterback doesn’t get the ball out on time (as has been the case with J.J. McCarthy a time or two) and/or the quarterback doesn’t navigate the pocket as he ought (as has been the case with J.J. McCarthy a time or two), then the o-line could look poor through no fault of its own. Various other factors — receivers not getting open, a runner operating with poor vision, an iffy play call, and so on — can similarly be factored into the mix.
With that being said, the Vikings’ problem is nevertheless manifesting itself within the play of the large lads up front.
To help get a sense of how Minnesota has addressed its offensive line, consider the stripped down numbers for the most recent contracts handed out to the starting five. The numbers were rounded up a touch for simplicity.
| Player | Contract |
| Christian Darrisaw | Four Years at $104 Million |
| Donovan Jackson | Four Years at $17.2 Million |
| Ryan Kelly | Two Years at $18 Million |
| Will Fries | Five Years at $88 Million |
| Brian O’Neill | Five Years at $92.5 Million |
Adding all of the numbers together would mean seeing a collective payday at $319.7 million. Building the front, quite evidently, has been a priority, meaning the poor effort qualifies as a double dose of bad news.
The obvious counterpoint is to make the basic observation that Christian Darrisaw hasn’t yet been able to play in 2025. Other injuries — specifically, to Ryan Kelly — have further depleted the o-line. The response has been to lean on a hodgepodge starting unit, seeing all of Justin Skule, Walter Rouse, and Michael Jurgens earn reps.
Still, the point remains: the Minnesota Vikings need the offensive line to be better.
On Sunday Night Football, the numbers were very ugly.
J.J. McCarthy was sacked 6 times. He was hit several more times. On the ground, Minnesota turned a modest 19 carries into a modest 78 yards. Just nowhere close to good enough for a team that looked to adopt a mauling style of football.
So much of the Vikings’ effort in the 2025 offseason was to build a team that could take the burden of victory off of J.J. McCarthy’s shoulders. Pursuing that very reasonable objective meant leveraging the savings from a rookie-contract QB to see huge spending in other areas.
Accordingly, the defense is capable of withstanding the other team’s assault, giving the ball back to the offense without forfeiting a pile of points. The skill is well paid, made evident in the deals for Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones (among others). Finally, there’s a front five that’s supposed to keep J.J. McCarthy upright, confident, and clean. The words that the previous sentence hinges on are “supposed to.”
All hope is not lost. Seeing a J.J. McCarthy — sacked 9 times in his two games — who begins to master the rhythm of the offense would go a long way in helping the Vikings’ problem to get fixed. Decisive passing can be the death knell to a ferocious pass rush. So, too, can a greater reliance on running the ball be part of the solution.
Goodness, just seeing Christian Darrisaw back onto the field changes the water on the beans. Securing elite play at left tackle from Week 3 onward would be a major boost for this Vikings team.
But while all of these basic details are important to remember, the Vikings’ offensive line nevertheless needs to be better. Seeing the group become dominant appears to be precisely what the doctor ordered.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
