Report: Extension Talks with Prominent Vikings Heat Up

  |  
Jul 3, 2021
Harrison Smith / Mike Zimmer
Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

The calendar indicates it’s the time of year for the Minnesota Vikings front office to enter contraction extension talks. The franchise notoriously avoids in-season extension talks, so between now and the commencement of the 2021 season is prime territory for veterans to receive extensions.

Last season, the oft-mentioned contract belonged to Dalvin Cook, who re-upped with the team just as the 2020 season began. He inked for five years and $63 million after a summer-long will-they-or-won’t-they for Vikings management. In the end, Cook was secured long-term, locking his skillset into the Vikings plans through the end of 2025 (or five full seasons from now).

Now, it’s the summer of 2021 — a more optimistic one worldwide than last year — and two more high-profile players on the docket for extensions. Interestingly, neither man plays running back, thus making the public opinion about deals less contentious.

Harrison Smith and Brian O’Neill are the centers of attention in this realm. And per Darren Wolfson of KSTP and SKOR North, extension talks are underway:

In a very euphemistic manner, these talks are predictable.

Smith is an absolute stalwart for the Vikings defense, spanning nine seasons that started when the Vikings defense was the butt of jokes. The Notre Dame alumnus was drafted in 2012, spurring a coming of age in 2013 during a season in which the Vikings showcased a historically bad defense. In fact, the defensive faceplant by the team in Smith’s sophomore season was the precipitous event that led to the hire of current head coach, Mike Zimmer. He dragged the team to an era of defense, maintaining a 58% win percentage in seven seasons — eighth-best in the NFL during the timeframe.

Amid the last decade, Smith’s accolades are magnificent.

He’s also on a Hall of Fame trajectory, although at this point, he probably needs a Super Bowl win to consummate the resume.

Smith is the longstanding backbone of the Vikings defense, patrolling the secondary while the rest of the pieces, from the defensive line to the cornerbacks, have experienced renovation. For that reason, Smith will likely remain a lifelong Viking.

Extending Brian O’Neill would also be delightful. The Vikings offensive line inside that same Zimmer tenure — arguably aside from the kicker spot on the depth chart — is the most frustrating aspect of Minnesota football. Like clockwork each season, the Vikings offensive trenches struggle to protect quarterbacks while showing some run-blocking competence.

But none of the OL resentment is any fault of O’Neill. Conversely, he is the lone bright spot on the offensive line since he was drafted in 2018. At first, it was whispered that O’Neill would need time to develop. Yet, he was thrust into duty earlier than forecasted. He never looked back. O’Neill deserves an extension, and it makes all the sense in the world that Vikings management is working toward executing a long-term deal.

Thankfully for O’Neill, his new contract will be juicier than thought as little as a week ago. Why? Well, New Orleans Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk was handed a gargantuan deal this week, level-setting the market for likeminded players such as O’Neill.

This contract alone made O’Neill a richer man. His price tag skyrocketed by a few million per season with one tweet.

Minnesota uncharacteristically has about $14 million in cap space, holding off for the last few weeks in adding new free agents.

That’s probably because Wolfson, SKOR North, and Sean Borman are correct that general manager Rick Spielman is investing the funds in-house.

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