The Vikings have a real dilemma on their hands with Blake Cashman, and it’s the kind of problem teams would love to have until the bill comes due. The veteran linebacker is playing at a high level in his third season in Minnesota, but his current three-year, $22.5 million deal runs through the 2026 season. That means general manager Nolan Teasley has a call to make: extend him now, or risk losing one of the most reliable pieces in Brian Flores’ defense later.
Cashman’s production has made the choice tougher. He owns a Pro Football Focus grade of 86.2, which ranks second among qualifying linebackers.
He also leads the Vikings with 54 tackles and is tied with Kyle Van Noy for the team lead in tackles for loss with 7.5. For a player in his eighth NFL season, that kind of output isn’t just good - it’s the kind of steady, every-down impact that coaches build around.
What makes Cashman so valuable is the way he fits nearly anywhere on the field. He can rush the quarterback, drop into coverage, or hold up in run defense without forcing the Vikings to substitute.
That versatility has helped him stay on the field for 95 percent of the team’s possible snaps. Since arriving in Minnesota, he has appeared in 33 games and started all 33.
He’s also giving the Vikings one of the most complete seasons of his career. Through six games with the Purple and Gold, he’s already matched a career high with 4.5 sacks and is on pace for 153 tackles if he plays all 17 games. He has topped 100 tackles and added at least two sacks in each of his last three seasons, which is exactly the kind of consistency teams covet.
But the timing complicates everything. Cashman is 30, and his current salary average of $7.5 million per year is far below what an extension would likely cost.
The source material points to Pittsburgh Steelers defender Nick Herbig as the highest-paid interior linebacker in the league at $25 million per season, though Cashman would not be expected to reach that number. Even so, keeping him around will take a much bigger commitment than his present deal.
That creates a separate question for Minnesota: how long do they keep waiting on Jake Golday? The Vikings drafted the former Cincinnati linebacker with the No. 51 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but with Cashman and Eric Wilson playing so well, Golday has mostly been stuck on the sideline. He has logged only 16 defensive snaps this season.
At some point, the Vikings will need Golday to become a long-term answer in the middle of the defense. For now, though, there isn’t enough there to make anyone comfortable handing him a starting job and moving on from Cashman. The veteran has been too important, too dependable, and too productive to treat as replaceable.
That’s why letting Cashman reach free agency would be a risky move. If he gets there, the market should be strong, and Minnesota would be bidding against teams eager to add a player performing at this level. The cleaner solution would be to lock him up with an extension worth more than $10 million per year, keep him in the building, and reward the kind of play he’s already delivered in Minnesota.
In Other News...
Kyle Van Noy Is Making This A Tough Vikings Decision
Kyle Van Noy has turned a short-term Vikings signing into one of the more interesting roster conversations of the season. Brought in on a one-year deal, the veteran has given Minnesota useful snaps as both a pass rusher and run defender, and his strong play has shown up in the grading as well, with Pro Football Focus giving him high marks for what he has brought to the defense.
Even in a limited role, he has made his presence felt enough to complicate the team's plans for 2027. At about 32 percent of the defensive snaps, Van Noy has done enough to make a case that he should not be treated like a stopgap, and Minnesota now has a decision to make about whether it wants that kind of production around beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Undefeated Start Is Hiding A Bigger Offensive Concern
Minnesotas unbeaten start has been built more on the parts of the roster that travel well in January than on any sense that the offense is fully in rhythm. The special teams and defense have carried plenty of the load, and Harrison Smiths 40th career interception was another reminder of how much veteran playmaking still matters to this group. With a tough stretch ahead, the Vikings can enjoy being the NFLs last unbeaten team, but the margin for error looks thinner than the record suggests.
The concern is that the offense still has not matched the standard the rest of the team has set, and the scrutiny is beginning to settle on Kevin OConnells handling of that side of the ball as well as some recent roster decisions. Blake Cashman has been a bright spot in the middle, while Will Fries has yet to settle in after joining the team, leaving Minnesota with a little too much imbalance for a club trying to keep winning at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Just Showed The Vikings What They're Missing
The Vikings spent plenty of the afternoon seeing just how disruptive Jonathan Taylor can be when an offense is built around a true workhorse runner. Taylor was a steady problem for Minnesota, helping Indianapolis stay on schedule and convert third downs in a game that exposed a defense that had usually been better in those situations.
For Minnesota, the reminder is obvious: a back like Taylor changes the feel of a game and gives an offense a different kind of edge. It is easy to see why his fit would be appealing here, even if the reality around any pursuit is more complicated, with no indication the Colts are eager to move him. [Read more 🡒]