{"id":754272,"date":"2026-02-15T17:40:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T17:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754272\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T17:40:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T17:40:21","slug":"vikings-may-strike-early-on-these-contract-extensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754272\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings May Strike Early on These Contract Extensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every offseason, the Minnesota Vikings extend at least one player\u2019s contract earlier than expected. For example, Minnesota handed outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel<\/a> an extra $23 million in 2025. That will happen again in 2026. The following is a list of candidates.<\/p>\n

Vikings extension talks could heat up quickly, because a few core starters already sit at the intersection of timing and roster need. <\/p>\n

Free agency will get underway in three weeks, so between now and the end of May, expect these four men to be in line for possible extensions.<\/p>\n

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Early Extension Candidates for the Vikings in 2026<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s due for more years and money a bit early? These are the candidates in alphabetical order.<\/p>\n

\"Blake<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) reacts following a snap on Dec 22, 2024, at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, during a fourth-quarter sequence against the Seahawks. Cashman turns toward the sideline as the play finishes, emotion visible in a tight late-game moment. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

1. Blake Cashman (LB)<\/p>\n

If Cashman hadn\u2019t missed four games due to injury in 2025, his 11.07 tackles per game pace would\u2019ve translated to 188 in a full season, which would be the eighth-most in a season in NFL history. Somehow, Cashman\u2019s 2025 campaign flew under the radar, even for the most ardent Vikings fans.<\/p>\n

Now, he has one year left on his contract. The Eden Prairie just feels like a guy who will spend the rest of his career in Minnesota, and the fantastic production does little to refute that theory.<\/p>\n

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Cashman earns $7.5 million per season. Before too long, interim general manager Rob Brzezinski<\/a> will probably extend his contract by two years and $20 million or so.<\/p>\n

2. Jonathan Greenard (OLB)<\/p>\n

The Vikings signed Greenard to a four-year contract during the 2024 offseason, which is wonderful \u2014 but his guaranteed money ran out last season. Seeking to restructure some players\u2019 contracts to ease the salary cap pain, Minnesota will probably extend Greenard, pay him fair market value, and let him continue his run in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Some have floated Greenard in fancy trade theories to Cincinnati for Joe Burrow<\/a>, but in reality, Burrow probably isn\u2019t for sale, and the Vikings value Greenard. It\u2019s not wise to get rid of EDGE rushers when a team is plotting a path back to the postseason.<\/p>\n

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Greenard was the butt of \u201calmost sack\u201d jokes in 2025 because so many of his pressures failed to bring down the quarterback; he\u2019ll seek a bounce-back campaign in 2026, at least for the sack numbers. All the rest of the stats for Greenard were top-notch.<\/p>\n

Look for Minnesota to add $23 million to $25 million to Greenard\u2019s deal, likely spreading the money out over future years.<\/p>\n

Star Tribune\u2018s Ben Goessling wrote<\/a> about Greenard\u2019s contract this week, \u201cGreenard is coming off shoulder surgery, and given how important he\u2019s been to the Vikings\u2019 defense, it seems unlikely the team would release him when he\u2019s still only 28.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d save $12.25 million if they released him before a $4 million base salary guarantee on March 13. Given the fact he\u2019s got two void years on his deal, it\u2019s possible the Vikings would convert part of his $18.39 million base salary into a signing bonus to lower his cap hit for 2026. Doing so would save them up to $12.96 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

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3. Brian O\u2019Neill (RT)<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill will probably encounter a similar fate to Greenard.<\/p>\n

Minnesota may restructure his contract<\/a> and add $20 million per year in guaranteed money. Considering performance and durability, O\u2019Neill is the Vikings\u2019 single-most effective lineman and has arguably held that title for seven seasons.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Brian O\u2019Neill addresses young athletes on June 13, 2025, during the annual TITUS Free Community Football Clinic, sharing advice and encouragement with campers in attendance. The Salesianum alum spent time engaging with children and promoting fundamentals and sportsmanship. \u00a9 Damian Giletto\/Delaware News Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s 31, so he\u2019s not bursting with youth. But the league\u2019s best offensive tackles can play well into their 30s, and fans should expect that for O\u2019Neill.<\/p>\n

Minnesota will almost assuredly re-do O\u2019Neill\u2019s deal; adding more money only seems fair, as O\u2019Neill is tentatively slated to test free agency<\/a> in 2027.<\/p>\n

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4. Jay Ward (S)<\/p>\n

Ward balled out when afforded the opportunity last year. He was a rookie in 2023, meaning the upcoming season will be the final year of his deal. He\u2019s done enough to merit a modest extension. He hits hard and represents youthful pop that Minnesota needs.<\/p>\n

Our Kyle Joudry recently noted on Ward<\/a>, \u201cLining up directly across from a shifty, explosive receiver isn\u2019t for the faint of heart. Making a mistake is incredibly easy to see, even for an untrained eye. Ward\u2019s capacity to get over the top of a receiver\u2019s toes before then traveling with the receiver down the field is to be valued even if he\u2019s not a shutdown option out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider, as well, being the deep safety. Being tall and having long arms helps \u2014 game of inches, right? \u2014 since there\u2019s a greater chance of swatting deep passes away. Again, though, there\u2019s the blatantly-obvious possibility of losing the rep. Any deep safety who gets beat deep is bound to get an earful from a coach (or two) alongside the scorn from onlookers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jay<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings safety Jay Ward aligns near the sideline on Sep 14, 2023, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the defense prepares for the snap in a primetime contest. Ward tracks the formation and settles into coverage responsibilities against the Eagles\u2019 motion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports.<\/p>\n

Too, down the stretch of 2025, defensive coordinator Brian Flores<\/a> seemed to prefer Ward in the lineup over fellow safety Theo Jackson.<\/p>\n

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Joudry added, \u201cSeeing Ward prove capable of doing both \u2014 being a corner and a safety \u2014 is encouraging, especially within a Brian Flores defense that\u2019s predicated on disguise, chaos, and being unpredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward will turn 26 this summer. Now\u2019s the time to explore his second contract. He won\u2019t break the bank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every offseason, the Minnesota Vikings extend at least one player\u2019s contract earlier than expected. For example, Minnesota handed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754273,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2073],"tags":[6512,11270,8042,227,7,31346,1577,8041,233,259,2529,6,238,23207,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-754272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-andrew-van-ginkel","9":"tag-blake-cashman","10":"tag-brian-oneill","11":"tag-cincinnati","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-jay-ward","14":"tag-joe-burrow","15":"tag-jonathan-greenard","16":"tag-minnesota","17":"tag-minnesota-vikings","18":"tag-minnesotavikings","19":"tag-nfl","20":"tag-seahawks","21":"tag-theo-jackson","22":"tag-vikings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}