EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms on a contract extension with tight end Josh Oliver, one of the least noticed but most important role players on the team in the past two seasons, the team confirmed Tuesday.
Oliver's three year extension is worth $23.25 million with a max value of $27.5 million, including $11.9 million in new guarantees and $19.9 million in total guarantees, Andrew Kessler of Athletes First told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Oliver's current deal, signed prior to the 2023 season, was set to expire next spring. He is now signed through the 2028 season.
Oliver, 28, has started 26 games over the past two seasons, some in place of injured starter T.J. Hockenson, but many when game plans simply called for his versatility as a blocker. Since arriving in Minnesota, Oliver has caught 44 passes for 471 yards and five touchdowns while playing 45.5% of the team's offensive snaps. His 258 receiving yards last season was a career high.
Even before completing Oliver's new contract, the Vikings had already committed to the highest payroll ($341 million ) in the NFL for the 2025 season, as they have sought to build an established team around new quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Oliver's deal now extends one year further than Hockenson's, whose four-year extension in 2023 keeps him under contract through 2027.
A third-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, Oliver was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in 2021. He spent two seasons there before the Vikings signed him as a free agent.