The Minnesota Vikings have taken care of some notable contract extension business this offseason. But one remains undone as training camp looms, as safety Josh Metellus is entering the final year of his contract.
After three years of primarily serving as a special teamer, Brian Flores' scheme has revealed Metellus to be a capable and incredibly versatile defender. He has topped 100 total tackles with five pass breakups in each of the last two seasons, along with five total forced fumbles and three total interceptions as he lines up everywhere you could imagine (slot corner, free safety, in the box).
That also makes it hard to tab Metellus' value, in a financial sense. He's listed as a safety, but he's not just that. And there are natural questions about how successful he'd be in a different defensive scheme. If Flores hadn't come aboard as the Vikings' defensive coordinator, with the value he places on players who can do multiple things, would we even know who Metellus beyond "No. 44, he plays a lot of special teams?"
As expected, Metellus was present but not anywhere close to a full participant during Vikings' OTAs. At the time, Judd Zulgad of SKOR North suggested there might be an understanding between the team and Metellus, essentially "show up and we'll take care of you."
During that same episode of "Minnesota Sports with Mackey and Judd", Darren Wolfson of KSTP Sports suggested the Vikings wouldn't go above $15 million a year in a new deal for Metellus. By all accounts, contract talks have not been contentious, but on the doorstep of training camp, there are automatic questions.
Metellus, since he is under contract for this year, would be fined for any days of training camp he misses. He could do a "hold in", similar to what he did during OTAs, where he's present but not practicing fully.
Josh Metellus contract situation with the Minnesota Vikings has automatic nuance, and questions
It was easy to miss around the Fourth of July holiday, but Metellus retweeted the following video on July 5.
In a league where versatility is adored, Josh Metellus is a player that doesn’t get nearly the appreciation he deserves
— Nico (@elitetakes_) July 6, 2025
A defensive coordinator’s dream, and quietly entering a contract year (Vikings better change that) pic.twitter.com/MedjBwYRgd
On a recent episode of SKOR North's "Purple Daily", any updates on a contract extension for Metellus was a natural topic. After a bit of preamble about J.J. McCarthy, Wolfson dove right into it.
"Josh Metellus. The contract extension isn't done yet", Wolfson said. "Full disclosure. I have done a pre-training camp story with Josh for TV, the last two or three Julys, certainly the last two. He is in town. He's working out with a friend of mine. But for whatever reason, the story is not coming to fruition this time around."
His professional duties as a reporter aside, and Metellus perhaps wanting to avoid probing questions before he addresses reporters at training camp, Wolfson noted the Vikings and Metellus' representation have had "enough dialogue' regarding a new contract.
Zulgad again tapped into the overall issue and sticking point regarding a contract extension for Metellus. He is not a traditional safety like Harrison Smith. He plays nickel corner, etc., and Wolfson noted his value as a team captain, a leader of the defense, and how he has still been a notable contributor on special teams (47 percent of the Vikings' special teams snaps last season).
Wolfson offered the contract former Viking Cam Bynum got from the Indianapolis Colts this offseason-"$14-ish million"? (per year), actually $15 million per year (four years, $60 million) as a potential marker for Metellus' contract extension. But the idea that it's "super complicated", as Wolfson added, is unavoidable.
"I've thought long and hard about this", Wolfson said. "We've talked about this going back many weeks. I don't have a firm conclusion on what exactly the number is. I can't get there."
Wolfson said if you asked him months ago, he would've assumed a contract extension with Metellus would be done by now. That it's not done yet says it all, and Vikings reporters still don't have any real answers about when it might be done, or any easy answer for what it will look like if/when it is done.
So now we wait for next week, when Metellus will presumably be present at training camp and taking questions from the media at some point. Anything other than a canned response to any questions about a contract extension, while deferring to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, would be surprising.