Vikings Signing Blocking TE Josh Oliver to Three-Year, $21 Million Deal
The Vikings are kicking off free agency by signing former Jaguars and Ravens tight end Josh Oliver to a three-year, $21 million deal with $10.75 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Incentives can take the deal up to $24 million.
Oliver is a primarily a blocking tight end, so he'll step into Johnny Mundt's role as Minnesota's No. 2 tight end next to T.J. Hockenson. The two will undoubtedly play alongside each other in two-TE sets quite frequently. Given how important Hockenson will be to the Vikings' passing game this year with Adam Thielen gone, adding a standout blocker at the position makes sense. Having someone like Oliver is crucial to a lot of the things Kevin O'Connell wants to do on offense, particularly in the running game.
After breaking out with 709 receiving yards as a senior at San Jose State, Oliver was selected in the third round (69th overall) of the 2019 draft by the Jaguars. He played just 117 snaps as a rookie and missed the entire 2020 season due to injury, ending up on injured reserve in both of his first two seasons. In March 2021, he was traded to the Ravens for a conditional seventh-round pick.
Oliver was able to stay healthy and revive his career in Baltimore. He played in 14 games in 2021, then had his best season last year. Appearing in all 17 games with nine starts, Oliver played 513 offensive snaps in the regular season and caught 14 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he earned a 74.6 PFF grade as a run blocker and a 71.0 grade as a pass blocker. Oliver had two catches for 26 yards in the Ravens' first-round playoff loss to the Bengals.
At 6'5", 250 pounds, Oliver has good size for the TE position. He's also a great athlete, running a 4.63 40 at the 2019 combine.
A $7M AAV for a blocking tight end might seem high, but it's a valuable role in a Shanahan/McVay-style offense and Oliver, who turns 26 this month, may have his best football still in front of him. It'll be interesting to see how the contract is structured. With a little over half of the deal guaranteed, the Vikings may have an easy out after two years.
Free agency is underway.
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