On Monday, the NFL announced that Minnesota Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill has been selected as a replacement for Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson on the NFC roster at this season's Pro Bowl Games.
This is the second time in O'Neill's NFL career that he's been added to a Pro Bowl roster, and with the announcement, he is the first Vikings offensive tackle to be selected to multiple Pro Bowl rosters since Todd Steussie earned his second-career Pro Bowl selection in 1998.
In his seventh season with Minnesota after they selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, O'Neill put together one of his best performances in 2024. His PFF offensive grade ranked 16th out of 81 qualifying offensive tackles this season and his pass-blocking efficiency (97.7) was the ninth-best among 86 qualifying offensive tackles in 2024.
Minnesota Vikings RT Brian O'Neill has proved to be worth the money
Back in 2021, the Vikings made the decision to sign O'Neill to a multi-year contract extension worth $92.5 million. He was 26 at the time, and after Minnesota extended him, some wondered if he was worth that kind of money.
So, all O'Neill did during the 2021 season was play well enough to earn his first-career Pro Bowl selection. Since then, he's emerged as one of the top offensive tackles in the entire NFL and this was confirmed even further on Monday with his addition to the NFC's Pro Bowl roster.
O'Neill has two years left on his current contract with the Vikings, but if he puts together an impressive performance again next season, the team will likely attempt to reward him with another extension before his deal expires in 2027.
Minnesota has yet to figure out who is going to be the team's starting quarterback for the 2025 season. But regardless of who the Vikings select to be their starting signal-caller, having O'Neill blocking in front of them is going to make it much easier for the team's top quarterback to succeed during the 2025 campaign.