The Vikings have spent the offseason trying to reshape a roster that needed more than just a tweak, and Brian O’Neill’s new extension is one of the clearest signs they’re thinking long term.
Minnesota’s offense was a problem last season, even with a defense that kept the team in games and helped produce a winning record. The quarterback play drew plenty of blame, but the issues ran deeper than that. Injuries and inconsistency across multiple spots left the Vikings short of the kind of production they needed to push into the postseason.
That’s why the offensive line matters so much in 2026 and beyond. If Minnesota is going to score more and give its backs room to work, the front has to be stable. The O’Neill extension helps create that stability, and it gives the Vikings another proven piece to build around.
The right tackle’s new deal keeps him in Minnesota through the 2030 NFL season. It’s a major commitment for a 30-year-old lineman, but it also protects one of the team’s most dependable players at a spot that clearly needed to be secured.
The rest of the projected line is starting to take shape, too.
Christian Darrisaw is set at left tackle through the 2029 NFL season on a four-year, $104 million deal. In 2026, that contract makes him the 13th-highest-paid player at his position, which looks like a bargain if he stays healthy.
At left guard, Donovan Jackson is the kind of young, affordable building block teams hope to find. The Vikings took him in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and once he got into the lineup, he looked capable of holding that job for a long time. He’s entering the second year of his rookie deal and is under contract through the 2028 season.
Right guard Will Fries is also locked in. He signed a five-year, $87.72 million deal last offseason and is under contract through 2029, giving Minnesota another strong interior piece.
The only real question mark among the projected starters is center. Blake Brandel, who had been a swing tackle, was pushed into the role when Ryan Kelly missed time with a concussion.
He handled it well enough to put himself in line for the 2026 starting job. He’s set to become a free agent after this season if he isn’t extended, and the Vikings still need to decide whether he’s the long-term answer there.
For now, though, the picture is pretty clear: the tackles and guards are secured through 2028, and O’Neill’s extension strengthens a front office plan that’s aiming for continuity up front. For a team trying to fix its offense, that’s a big step in the right direction.
In Other News...
Former Vikings Pass Rusher Is Raising Health Concerns Again
Jonathan Greenards move out of Minnesota was supposed to be a clean fresh start after the Vikings sent him to Philadelphia and the Eagles locked him into a four-year extension. Instead, the former Vikings pass rusher is already dealing with another health issue, landing on the Eagles Physically Unable to Perform list as training camp gets underway. For a player brought in to help anchor the edge, it is an early setback that immediately puts his availability in the spotlight.
The concern is not just the designation itself, but the uncertainty around what comes next. Greenard is dealing with a pectoral injury suffered in camp, and the timing of it has not been made clear, while Philadelphia has not said whether it will cost him regular-season games. After a winter that already included shoulder surgery, this is the kind of update the Eagles were hoping to avoid, and it leaves one of their biggest offseason additions in a waiting game. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin O'Connell Just Delivered The Christian Darrisaw Update Vikings Needed
Christian Darrisaws offseason has put the Vikings in a far better place than they were a year ago, when the left tackle was working his way back from a serious knee injury. Head coach Kevin OConnell said Darrisaw is headed into training camp ready to go, a welcome development for a team that has spent plenty of time trying to stabilize the edge of its offensive line and give its offense a cleaner runway.
The next checkpoint comes when camp opens to fans on August 1, when Darrisaw is expected to be out there fully in practice. For Minnesota, the encouraging part is not just that he is back on the field, but that his presence should help settle protection plans and raise the ceiling for the offense as a whole, even if the bigger question now is how quickly that comfort translates once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Real Jalen Redmond Contract Decision
Jalen Carters new deal in Philadelphia only sharpened the conversation around defensive tackle money, and it puts a spotlight on where the Vikings stand with Jalen Redmond. Minnesota has already seen Redmond turn a low-cost role into something much more meaningful, with a 2025 season that gave the front office real evidence he can be more than a depth piece.
Redmond is still on a team-friendly path for now, but the Vikings are approaching the kind of decision that comes when a player outperforms his contract and the market keeps climbing around him. If they believe his breakout was the start of something bigger, this is the window to act before his price tag starts looking a lot less manageable. [Read more 🡒]