The Minnesota Vikings are entering a new era under general manager Nolan Teasley, and one of his first items of business is to determine whether Brian O’Neill will get a contract extension. One of the biggest leaders on the team, O’Neill is worthy of a new deal as he enters the final year of his contract. But his age is a concern as he’ll turn 31 in September.
According to The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson, that’s not something the Vikings should worry about.
Using Pro Football Reference’s approximate value metric, Robinson recently found that most offensive tackles maintain their highest values as they enter their mid-to-late 30s. In some cases, tackles remain productive as late as age 37 before finally falling off the cliff as they get closer to 40.
“Tackles might enjoy the longest primes of all, perhaps a full decade from their late 20s onward, a bit lengthier overall than guards and centers.
So while ‘Not For Long’ might apply to the average career, don’t mistake it as applying to stars. History suggests they’ll age more gracefully than we expect.”
With O’Neill projected for a market value of $21.1 million by Spotrac, it’s a big decision for Teasley to make. But O’Neill’s performance, as well as that of his peers, suggests it may be time to pay him as he heads to the bargaining table.
Age shouldn’t be a factor in Brian O’Neill’s next contract with the Minnesota Vikings
O’Neill carries plenty of value for the Vikings even as he heads deeper into his 30s. A second-round pick by the Vikings in the 2018 draft, O’Neill has appeared in 124 games and made 120 starts for Minnesota, posting a 4.5 percent pressure rate and allowing 24 snaps on 4,517 career pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF.
Last season was also one of the best seasons of his career, posting an 81.6 overall grade despite playing through a nagging ankle injury.
Of course, age is always a concern. Football fans are terrified of the age cliff, and that normally starts when players hit 30 years old, but as Robinson mentions, tackles don’t rely on speed and agility as much as a running back, wide receiver, or cornerback does.
Even centers and guards have to move more at their positions, giving them a shorter shelf life than an offensive tackle.
Looking at PFF’s overall grades from last season, five players over the age of 30 ranked in the top 15 of qualifying offensive tackles last season including Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers (91.1), Garrett Bolles of the Denver Broncos (90.4), Laremy Tunsil of the Washington Commanders (84.7), O’Neill (81.6) and Taylor Moton of the Carolina Panthers (80.9).
That list shows that while most offensive tackles may not make it that far in their career, the ones that do usually play at a high level. But if Vikings fans are still on the fence, they should look no further than what happened at the tackle position last year.
Justin Skule was signed to be the primary fill-in at both tackle positions, but he was a disaster, allowing 29 pressures and seven sacks on 331 pass-rushing snaps.
The Vikings added depth by signing Ryan Van Demark in free agency and selecting Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan in the third round of last year’s draft, but neither is likely to play at the same level that O’Neill has if he leaves after this season.
Even if O’Neill signs, it may not wreck Minnesota's plans for Tiernan, who some believe could transition to guard as his career progresses.
In the end, investing in O’Neill carries some risk. But as a veteran leader in the locker room whose performance hasn’t dropped off, it’s looking like a sound choice to be Teasley’s first big move as general manager.
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