One year remains on Brian O’Neill‘s contract. The longtime Vikings right tackle’s desire for a new deal has been made clear this offseason, and there is mutual interest in an agreement.
A “near-universal agreement” exists within the organization that another O’Neill deal is worth pursuing, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert writes. Minnesota operated with an interim general manager through free agency and the draft, with little communication on this front taking place. Now that Nolan Teasley is in place, however, negotiations could pick up.
O’Neill’s latest comments on his future confirmed his stance from the previous round of contract talks. The Vikings’ longest-tenured player hopes to spend his entire career in Minnesota. After playing out his rookie contract, O’Neill inked a five-year, $92.5MM pact. The two-time Pro Bowler has remained durable throughout his Vikings tenure, totaling 120 starts across eight seasons and playing at least 14 games every year along the way.
O’Neill is entering his age-31 season, so the length of a third Minnesota deal would no doubt be shorter than his second. Finances will of course be a key factor in negotiations as well. O’Neill is currently owed $19.5MM in 2026; he could seek out a raise in terms of upfront money along with a fresh round of guarantees on a new extension. On the other hand, Minnesota already has one major tackle contract on the books (Christian Darrisaw), and affording another could prove to be challenging.
As Seifert notes, the Vikings added Ryan Van Demark via an offer sheet this offseason. The team also brought in a third-round tackle prospect in the form of Caleb Tiernan during the draft. The presence of those two could lessen the urgency on Minnesota’s part with respect to making a new O’Neill commitment.
Nevertheless, cases of a mutual extension interest often result in a deal being worked out. Plenty of time remains between now and Week 1 for Teasley to take care of an important piece of financial business early in his GM tenure by finalizing a third O’Neill contract.
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