5 Minnesota Vikings who should have been extended before Kyle Rudolph

2. Stephen Weatherly, defensive end

The Minnesota Vikings have been lucky to have some players stepping up when others are unable to play. Last season, one individual who impressed in a backup role was defensive end Stephen Weatherly.

When Everson Griffen was away from the team, Weatherly stepped in and did an amazing job from both run support and a pass rushing standpoint. He played in all 16 games last season, starting six games where he notched three sacks and 35 combined tackles.

At only 25 years old, Weatherly still has a ton of gas left in the tank as he enters the final season of his contract with the team. A contract extension now would likely have saved the team a lot of money and locked down a valuable asset for the defense.

Instead, it now looks like it will be a challenge for Vikings salary cap guru Rob Brzezinski to figure out a way to keep the pass rusher around. But there still has to be some hope Minnesota can get a deal done with what is left financially.