The Minnesota Vikings could choose to extend some players who are entering the final year of their current contracts in order to keep them around longer.
It is early in the league’s new year but the Minnesota Vikings have already made several moves to shape their roster in preparation for the upcoming 2023 NFL season. However, the team must look beyond that and prepare for the franchise’s future.
There are a couple of great reasons to give a player a contract extension. One is to move money around to adjust salary cap hits. Another is to reward good play. And of course, another is to try to save money by locking down an improving player early.
Decisions like extending a player at the right time can be essential in making the future of a franchise as bright as possible, so choosing who to extend and when to do it is a major issue for a team’s general manager.
Let’s take a look at five players for the Minnesota Vikings who could be in line for the next contract extension and why this individual should be made a priority to keep in a purple and gold uniform for the future.
Justin Jefferson, wide receiver
It didn’t take long for Justin Jefferson to become the face of the franchise for the Minnesota Vikings. The young wide receiver exploded onto the scene and captured the hearts of football fans around the world.
Jefferson is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and is in line for a major contract extension soon. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has already said that making that happen is a “high priority” for the team.
When looking at his statistics, it’s easy to see why he would be the priority. In his three seasons, he hasn’t missed a game and has never had less than 1,400 receiving yards in a season, making him the focal point of the offense.
Now that the Vikings have parted ways with veteran Adam Thielen, the team needs to hitch their wagons to Jefferson and let him be the flagship player for a franchise making significant changes going forward.
T.J. Hockenson, tight end
When general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah executed a trade with the Detroit Lions to obtain tight end T.J. Hockenson, the hope was that he could become a legitimate weapon in the passing game to help move the chains when defenses focused on Jefferson.
The Minnesota Vikings should be very happy with the results so far. Hockenson has evolved into one of quarterback Kirk Cousins’ favorite targets and will likely be the team’s second option as a receiver.
Hockenson is due approximately $9.4 million in 2023 against the salary cap. An extension could spread some of that space over a few seasons or reward him with similar salaries and lock him down for multiple years.
Considering that he should be considered one of the top four tight ends in the NFL, locking down Hockenson would be a smart decision, even if it has no impact on his cap hit for 2023. He is a valuable asset that makes the team better when he is on the field.
K.J. Osborn, wide receiver
When talking about players who are trending up and could be a very good value to lock down right now, K.J. Osborn fits into that category quite well. He has increased his role and contributions with every passing season.
Like Jefferson, Osborn is entering the final year of his rookie contract and should be a player the Minnesota Vikings would like to have returning to the team for multiple seasons as the team evolves.
Osborn worked his way into a role as the team’s third receiver but could have the opportunity to be the WR2 after Thielen’s exit. If he can succeed in that role, locking him down at a smaller contract now could be a great value.
So far, he has passed every test given to him. Putting more responsibility on him and promoting him up the depth chart makes a lot of sense. If that is the Vikings’ plan, they need to lock him down for a while.
Ezra Cleveland, offensive line
The interior of the offensive line has been a bit of an issue for the Minnesota Vikings over the past few seasons. Despite spending a lot of draft capital and salary cap space on the three positions, they still haven’t seemed to get it right.
Of those three individuals, Ezra Cleveland has been the strongest performer and is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Minnesota could choose to wait until next offseason to make a decision on his future, but that time shouldn’t be necessary.
The Vikings need his stability while they work to find or create solid options at center and right guard. He shouldn’t be someone the team lets walk in free agency after the upcoming season since it would just create another hole.
Cleveland is set to have a salary cap hit of approximately $3.4 million in 2023 and extending him past that season shouldn’t be an expensive option, but would save the team another offensive line headache down the road.
Josh Metellus, safety
Depth for defensive backs is a bit shaky for the Minnesota Vikings heading into the 2023 NFL season and keeping some solid special teams players on the roster to roll over with each season can help with continuity.
Josh Metellus played well when filling in at safety in Minnesota’s defense last season and made some good plays on special teams as well. He likely won’t be a top priority for the Vikings but should be someone they heavily consider extending.
Metellus is set to have a salary cap hit of $1.01 million in 2023 and could be a very inexpensive player to extend for two or three years to keep evaluating him and have him available as a backup defender and experienced special teams player.
Extending the 25-year-old wouldn’t even mean they are locked into keeping him on the roster. He had his first career interception last season and defended a career-high five passes with 42 tackles on his way to his best season as a professional.