HEADLINES

Minnesota Vikings News & Rumors

Vikings Did Not Offer QB Sam Darnold Multi-Year Deal

June 21st, 2025 at 10:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The 2025 NFL offseason was certainly an interesting one for new Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. After a career year in 2024 on a one-year “prove-it” contract with the Vikings, Darnold made it clear to his suitors that he was looking for multiple years on a contract moving forward.

We saw interest early on from the Steelers and Giants, while presumed interest from the Titans and Raiders was apparently never there. And while there was talk that Minnesota had interest in re-signing him, Michael Silver of The Athletic tells us that the team never offered him the multi-year deal that he desired.

Quarterbacking a top-10 scoring offense that finished sixth in the NFL in passing yards, Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record. Despite only losing three games, Minnesota finished as the NFC’s 5-seed in the playoffs after losing the regular season finale to the division-winning, 15-2 Lions. That game saw Darnold complete a season-worst 18 of 41 pass attempts and pass for a season-low 166 yards. His first and only playoff appearance ended in a similar fashion as he was sacked a season-high nine times and failed to put double-digit points on the scoreboard.

Just like that, a career-defining, phenomenal season came to a crashing halt, and seemingly, so, too, did the Vikings’ favor for Darnold. After the then-27-year-old Darnold, who was handed the starting quarterback job over the 10th overall pick in 2024, J.J. McCarthy, due to injury, led them within a game of the top overall seed in the NFC, Minnesota seemed to have seen enough of him. Because their plans moving forward involved McCarthy taking over the offense as soon as possible, they were only willing to offer Darnold a one-year deal to potentially cover any time between now and whenever McCarthy is ready to take the reins.

Ultimately, Darnold landed in Seattle as the Seahawks new starter, and even though he’s now in a similar situation, with a rookie Jalen Milroe waiting behind him on the depth chart, head coach Mike Macdonald and company have been sure to communicate with the veteran and assure him that the starting job is his. They also affirmed their commitment to him with the three-year, $100.50MM contract they brought him in with.

With that contract, the Seahawks gave Darnold a chance to win the starting job and keep it for more than a year. Darnold will still have to fend off the developing quarterbacks behind him in Seattle, but at least now he’ll be under contract for those future battles and won’t have to worry about leaving early in free agency without still receiving a good amount of guarantees.

Vikings, Josh Metellus Discussing Extension

June 20th, 2025 at 2:50pm CST by Ben Levine

JUNE 20: While a mutual interest exists for an extension agreement in this case, no timeline is in place. Alec Lewis of The Athletic notes it is unclear at this point whether or not Metellus will have a new deal in hand by the start of training camp (subscription required). The Vikings have been busy on a number of other fronts so far this offseason regarding extensions, and it will be interesting to see if this winds up being the next pact taken care of.

JUNE 10: After the Vikings agreed to an extension with tight end Josh Oliver earlier today, it would appear that safety Josh Metellus is next in line for a long-term pact. The impending free agent eschewed a minicamp hold-in as he awaits a resolution on his contract, although he’s been sitting out the faster-pace seven-on-seven drills, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.

[RELATED: Vikings, TE Josh Oliver Agree To Extension]

Metellus all but said that he hopes to stick in Minnesota for the long haul, and he acknowledged that his camp has discussed a new contract with the Vikings front office. The defensive captain was also quick to disregard his limited workload during OTAs and minicamp.

“That’s part of the process right now,” Metellus said (via Seifert). “I mean, the coaches in front office, everybody understand, you know, situation I’m here. I’m building that chemistry my new teammates and the old teammates, and I’m here being the same guy I am all the time. So you guys know me. It ain’t nothing change.”

It’s still a promising development that the two sides have apparently engaged in extension talks. We heard back in February that the front office could consider an extension for the veteran safety, but we haven’t heard anything definitive until now.

A former sixth-round pick, Metellus has evolved into one of the Vikings’ most dependable defenders. He had a breakout campaign when he started 17 games in 2023, and while he had a bit less responsibility in 2024, he still put up big numbers. The 27-year-old finished the campaign with 103 tackles, five passes defended, and a pair of interceptions. The Michigan product surely wouldn’t warrant a contract that sniffs the top of the positional market, but the two sides could find common ground when it comes to contract term.

With Camryn Bynum no longer in the picture, the Vikings aren’t as deep at safety as they once were. Harrison Smith will continue to lead the unit, but Metellus’ “limited” status would mean more reps for the likes of Jay Ward and Theo Jackson.

NFC Staff Changes: 49ers, Buccaneers, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Vikings

June 19th, 2025 at 4:47pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers announced a flurry of staff changes this week, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group, including the promotions of RJ Gillen and Brian Hampton to assistant general managers.

Gillien has been with the 49ers’ scouting department since 2015. He spent the last two years as the director of player personnel and will continue leading the team’s pro scouting operations.

Hampton started as a football operations intern in 2003 and rose through the ranks to become the director of football administration and analytics in 2010. He held that position for a decade before a promotion to vice president of football administration in 2020. Hampton is primarily focused on the 49ers’ roster construction and contract negotiations, particularly relating to the salary cap.

The 49ers also made three promotions in their scouting department – Jordan Fox to player personnel scout, Jason Kwon to pro scout, and Ryan Schutta to area scout – as well as two changes in football research and development. Shravan Ramamurthy was promoted to manager, while Benjamin Klein was hired as a performance analyst. The team also promoted Corry Rush to executive vice president of player personnel.

A number of other NFC teams also made staff changes in recent weeks:

  • The Buccaneers hired Ty Shiflet and Griffin Moore as scouting assistants, per Greg Auman of The Athletic. Shiflet was formerly a personnel assistant at LSU, while Moore was a college tight end at Illinois and Texas State.
  • The Eagles are planning to hire LSU director of player personnel Preston Tiffany, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. He previously held the same position at Ole Miss.
  • The Falcons hired Ari Glazier as a junior football data analyst, per Inside The League’s Neil Stratton. Glazier worked with the Syracuse football team for the 2024 season while pursuing degrees in sports analytics and economics.
  • The Giants promoted Justin Markus to from BLESTO scout to Midwest area scout, according to Stratton. Before joining the Giants, Markus was a video intern with the Jets and a recruiting analyst at Rice University.
  • The Vikings promoted Michelle Mankoff from college and pro scouting analyst to college scout, per Stratton. She previously interned with the Bills and the XFL.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

June 18th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Many months remain before teams know where they are picking in the 2026 draft, but many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the Browns and Rams’ efforts, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Vikings To Extend OC Wes Phillips

June 13th, 2025 at 10:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings have been busy this offseason in terms of maintaining continuity in the front office and on the sidelines. Another piece of business on that front has been taken care of.

An extension agreement was reached on Friday with offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. Phillips was set to enter the final season of his deal in 2025. Instead, he is set to remain in place for years to come.

From 2019-21, Phillips and Kevin O’Connell worked together on the Rams’ staff (after previously doing the same in Washington). When the latter landed the Vikings’ head coaching gig, the former followed him to Minnesota in a move which came as little surprise. O’Connell has called plays during his time at the helm, and there is no reason to expect that to change in the wake of his extension. Still, Phillips will be counted on to remain a key figure on the team’s staff.

His 2022 hire marked Phillips’ first OC opportunity at the college or NFL levels. He has enjoyed a strong run so far, with the Vikings posting a top-10 finish in points twice over the past three seasons. The 46-year-old received a three-game suspension from the team in the wake of a December 2023 DWI arrest. Phillips returned to his duties upon serving that punishment, and he will stay in place well beyond 2025 given today’s news.

O’Connell won Coach of the Year honors in 2024 and has earned a reputation as one of the league’s top offensive minds since taking charge of the Vikings. Expectations will remain high in his case for the coming campaign, one in which second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be tasked with handling starting duties. Having missed his entire rookie season due to injury, a steep development curve will be needed if the Vikings are to duplicate their 14-3 season from last year.

Phillips will be a key figure in that respect while also helping to guide an offense featuring multiple additions up front and which returns an impressive array of skill-position players. Another productive outing from the unit will be key, and matching it previous success will help justify the Vikings’ commitment to keeping O’Connell and one of his most important assistants in the fold. Per Goessling, O’Connell advocated for his staff to receive new deals once his extension was in place.

Since then, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has also been extended. The 2026 offseason once loomed as a time when plenty of notable changes could have taken place in the organization, but instead the Vikings have elected to keep many of their core staffers in the fold for the foreseeable future. Once his new deal is official, Phillips will join the list of names included in that effort.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/13/25

June 13th, 2025 at 8:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s minor moves:

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

  • Released: TE Mitch Van Vooren

Kendrick missed all of last season due to an ACL tear. Prior to that, though, he started 18 games across two seasons. The 24-year-old will look to find a new opportunity in time for training camp once he clears waivers. Long connected to a potential re-acquisition of Jalen Ramsey, meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if today’s Rams move is soon followed by another at the cornerback spot.

Aaron Rodgers Addresses Steelers Signing; Rams Showed Interest

June 11th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers were connected to one another well before a deal was actually signed. The future Hall of Famer will handle quarterback duties for 2025 after it remained unclear whether or not he would continue his career.

Rodgers was linked to a small number of potential landing spots while he contemplated retirement. Once Russell Wilson and Justin Fields departed in free agency, though, it became abundantly clear a commitment to the 41-year was a strong possibility for the Steelers. That held especially true with Matthew Stafford proving to be unavailable via trade.

“There was conversations with other organizations, for sure,” Rodgers said when speaking to the media following his first Pittsburgh practice (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “But, again, the rapport that fell in between me and [head coach] Mike [Tomlin] made it to where, as I was going through my personal stuff, there wasn’t any other option for me. It was here or not play.”

After Rodgers was released from the Jets, he spoke with both the Giants and Vikings. It was reported at one point during his free agency that Minnesota represented the 41-year-old’s preferred destination. Having seen Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones take starting gigs (or at least the chance of one, in the latter’s case), however, the Vikings are set for J.J. McCarthy to handle QB1 duties. New York, meanwhile, was leery of Rodgers’ age and injury history (including a 2023 Achilles tear) when contemplating a deal.

When speaking to the media, Rodgers confirmed (via Mark Maske of the Washington Post) he was in talks with the Vikings and Giants. He added the decision to play one more year was not “super clear-cut,” but ongoing conversations with Tomlin played a key role in his commitment to Pittsburgh. Team and player arranged for the signing to officially take place in time for mandatory minicamp, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer confirmed to little surprise during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show (video link).

Interestingly, the Rams were also a possibility at one point in Rodgers’ case. When appearing on Good Morning Football Wednesday morning (video link), head coach Sean McVay said the longtime Packers star was the subject of conversations in the organization as a Stafford contingency plan. In the end, Stafford worked out another short-term arrangement which will keep him in Los Angeles, allowing the team to continue with its preferred starter.

Rodgers will carry a $14.15MM cap hit in 2025 as the Steelers look for their first postseason win since 2016. Incentives are present to add to the four-time MVP’s $13.65MM in base pay, but even at its maximum this Pittsburgh agreement falls well short of his previous contracts. Rodgers is certainly not lacking in career earnings, and with a Super Bowl to his name already he could have easily chosen to hang up his cleats. Instead, Rodgers will look to enjoy a brief third chapter in his NFL career.

“For my ego, I don’t need it to keep playing,” he added (via Maske). “A lot of decisions that I’ve made over my career and life from strictly the ego — even if they turn out well — are always unfulfilling. But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling… I felt like being here with Coach T. and the guys they got here and the opportunity here was best for me. I’m excited to be here.”

Vikings’ Christian Darrisaw Returns To Practice, Awaiting Full Clearance

June 11th, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings’ decision to let Cam Robinson walk (to the Texans) in free agency, as the NFC North team made its own offensive line overhaul, provided a clear indication the player the trade acquisition replaced would be ready to return by Week 1. It continues to head in that direction for Christian Darrisaw.

The recently extended left tackle returned to practice for the Vikings as they began their minicamp. The team confirmed Darrisaw is doing individual drills less than eight months after he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

ACL and MCL tears shut down Darrisaw last year, and considering those occurred in Week 8, it certainly represents a promising sign the fifth-year veteran is working out with teammates in any capacity by minicamp.

This return does not yet include 11-on-11 work, with ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert noting full clearance is not expected in the near future. A stay on the training camp active/PUP list, then, could be reasonable expected as Minnesota’s top O-lineman prepares to return. Kevin O’Connell, however, said weeks ago Darrisaw has not endured any setbacks during his rehab journey. That bodes well for the Vikings having their LT starter back as the team both breaks in J.J. McCarthy and a new batch of interior O-linemen.

Not exactly pleased with how their O-line performed on the biggest stages late last season, the Vikings will roll out a new interior trio pieced together during free agency and the draft. Ex-Colts Will Fries and Ryan Kelly are coming into start, while the Vikes added guard Donovan Jackson in the first round. As for Darrisaw insurance, the team signed Justin Skule as a swingman. Skule, who is on a one-year deal worth $2MM, worked as Minnesota’s first-string LT during team drills at minicamp.

Darrisaw scored a four-year, $104MM deal last summer, inking his lucrative second contract weeks after Justin Jefferson signed his. This duo will be vital as McCarthy aims to prove Vikings brass right in its quest for a long-term post-Kirk Cousins option. The Vikings going from a 14-3 team to one unveiling an unseasoned QB and a left tackle recovering from a major knee injury does place a speedbump on the way to the season, but thus far, Darrisaw keeps hitting the desired checkpoints. Having him in place opposite longtime RT Brian O’Neill will give McCarthy a favorable setup, as O’Connell is now the reigning Coach of the Year, as he begins his QB1 run.

Vikings, TE Josh Oliver Agree To Extension

June 10th, 2025 at 11:19am CST by Adam La Rose

Josh Oliver will be remaining with the Vikings for years to come. The veteran tight end agreed to an extension on Tuesday, as first reported by Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

This will be a three-year pact with a base value of $23.25MM, Oliver’s agent informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal contains $11.9MM in new guarantees and can reach a maximum of $27.5MM. Oliver is under contract through 2028, and his latest pact is now official.

A third-round pick of the Jaguars in 2019, Oliver faced high expectations upon arrival in the NFL. His Jacksonville tenure began with only four games played during his rookie season, however. Foot surgery then led to an absence spanning the entire 2020 campaign. When Oliver was traded to the Ravens in March 2021, the move allowed him a change of scenery and the opportunity to increase his market value.

The San Jose State product managed to remain mostly healthy during his two Baltimore seasons, although he did not factor much into the team’s passing attack. Nevertheless, Oliver spent the second half of his rookie contract showcasing his value as a strong run blocker. Success in that regard landed him a three-year, $21MM free agent deal with the Vikings in 2023. So far in Minnesota, Oliver has totaled 471 yards and five touchdowns on 44 catches.

While that represents an uptick in usage compared to his previous stops, the 28-year-old has primarily been used as a run blocker in Minnesota. Oliver’s success in that regard has made him an effective complement to T.J. Hockenson, who has three years remaining on his $16.5MM-per-year contract. The Vikings will have an even more expensive TE room moving forward.

Minnesota has finished no worse than sixth in passing yards during each of head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s three years at the helm. With wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison still in place, expectations will remain high in that regard for 2025. Oliver will play a depth role in the passing attack, but he will also still be counted on to operate as one of the league’s top blockers at his position.

Load More Posts