Vikings give All-Pro Andrew Van Ginkel a one-year contract extension

Van Ginkel gets a nice raise after his incredible 2024 season. He's now under contract for the next two years in Minnesota.

Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) looks on before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Vikings All-Pro outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel is signing a one-year, $23 million contract extension that will keep him in Minnesota through the 2026 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Nearly all of it ($22.4 million) is guaranteed.

A raise in Minnesota: Vikings reached agreement today on a one-year $23 million extension that includes $22.4 million guaranteed for LB Andrew Van Ginkel, per his agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus. pic.twitter.com/CHvbOo9sBN

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2025

Last offseason, Van Ginkel was one of the Vikings' key free agent acquisitions. After five seasons with the Dolphins, he signed a two-year, $20 million deal with Minnesota, where he reunited with his former head coach Brian Flores.

Van Ginkel went on to have easily the most productive statistical season of his career. He recorded 11.5 sacks, 18 total tackles for loss, six passes defended, a forced fumble, and a pair of pick-sixes in an incredible year that saw him earn a Pro Bowl trip, a second team All-Pro nod, and a seventh-place finish in defensive player of the year voting. Van Ginkel and fellow free agent acquisition Jonathan Greenard were two huge reasons for the Vikings' success on defense during a 14-3 campaign.

Now Van Ginkel, who was originally a fifth-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2019, gets rewarded for his big season with a hefty raise. Instead of going into the final year of his deal and being set to hit free agency next spring, he's under contract for the next two seasons and will be a pending UFA in 2027 (though his deal could certainly be addressed again next offseason). It'll be interesting to see the structure of his deal and whether or not it actually lowers his $12.4 million cap hit in 2025.

It's not surprising that this was a priority for the Vikings, given how good Van Ginkel was last year and how important he is in Flores' defense. He can set the edge as a run defender, rush the passer from any alignment (45+ pressures, per PFF, in each of his last three full seasons) and drop into coverage at a high level. Van Ginkel has three career pick-sixes and came close to another one in the Vikings' regular season finale against the Lions.

If there's anything surprising about this news, it's that it isn't a multi-year extension.

Van Ginkel's agents, Drew and Jason Rosenhaus, were at the Vikings' TCO Performance Center on Tuesday, according to beat reporters on the scene. Notably, they also represent standout safety Josh Metellus, who is heading into the final year of his contract.