The Vikings’ Behemoth of a Lineman and The Roster Riddle That’s Yet to be Solved
The Vikings’ behemoth of a lineman — Brian O’Neill — is part of the solution in Minnesota.
Drafted at No. 62 back in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mr. O’Neill has solidified himself as one of the NFL’s preeminent offensive tackles. He hasn’t played a snap outside of Minnesota, so one wonders if he gets a touch overlooked due to the lack of team success. The Vikings know how good he is, leading to the beefy cap charges that are hitting the books, ones that contribute to the riddle that’s sitting in front of the team’s leadership.
The Vikings’ Behemoth & The Vikings’ Riddle
To be sure, the discussion has come up on Vikings Territory.
Consider the salary cap issue that gets discussed in the linked piece: “Just how bad is the cap outlook [in the 2026 offseason]? Put it this way: finding $60 million in increased cap room would still involve Minnesota not having any open cap space (at least per the current estimate). The Vikings are sitting in dead last in the NFL for open cap space. Put differently, there is no open cap space; rather, there’s a league-worst $60.822 million in debt for next year (again, per the estimate).”
What does that issue have to do with O’Neill? After all, he’s the right tackle, not the general manager.
Well, take a look at the finances. Brian O’Neill is taking the largest bite out of the budgetary pie in 2025, gobbling up $26,019,114 in cap space. The next closest Viking is stud edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who is sitting at $22,300,000. O’Neill and Greenard are the only two to be above $20 million in 2025.
Next year, things change. Greenard and O’Neill are no longer a lonely pair sitting above $20 million. Justin Jefferson sees his cap charge at roughly $39 million. All of T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, Javon Hargrave, and Jonathan Allen see their cap hits soar past $20 million.
Add it all up and the salary cap riddle is a tough one to solve. There’s more than $60.8 million that needs to get cleared off the books just to get back to even. Still more will be needed to actually add talent by bringing in trade acquisitions, signing free agents, and having rookies put pen to paper on their contracts.
Brian O’Neill, a well-paid veteran who is improving as he ages, could be part of the solution.
Consider, for instance, a world where O’Neill marches through 2025 with the largest cap charge. He then gets approached in February of 2026 about an extension. Pursuing that possibility could involve carving out $14.16 million in cap space. Turning the $60 million issue into a $46 million issue has its appeal as long as O’Neill continues showing an ability to keep playing strong football well into his 30s.
Last year, Brian O’Neill finished off as the 16th-best offensive tackle on PFF. He did so from within an offense where Sam Darnold sometimes held onto the football for a long time, making the o-line’s life a bit more difficult. A 2025 Vikings team that both runs the ball better while scheming up quicker passes for J.J. McCarthy could lead to a tidier grade for Mr. O’Neill.
Standing at 6’7″ and weighing 310 pounds, the Vikings’ behemoth of a right tackle is a sneaky extension candidate in 2025 or 2026.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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