Mettelus Working On New Deal

I hope it gets done. He's really grown the past couple years.

Like Metellus, great pick by Rick and he does a great job in that hybrid role, but is not a deep safety who is going to fill Bynum's role who I wish we had spent the money for.

Age old question Ive been asking is Metellus and Darnold a product of KOC/FLO and good players around them? Or are they just that great on there own?

Both Josh Metellus and the #Vikings have mutual interest in a contract extension, and @alec_lewis has a “pretty good amount of optimism that things will work out the way both sides want them to,” he mentioned via the @AlecLewisShow.

Lewis also said he “wouldn’t be that… pic.twitter.com/UdvIp50v1U

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) June 17, 2025

Still Hurtn wrote:
Age old question Ive been asking is Metellus and Darnold a product of KOC/FLO and good players around them? Or are they just that great on there own?

I don't think Metellus is working on a blockbuster deal of a top safety.  But a healthy deal that shows his worth to Flores.  The defense has to have people that know their jobs and do them well.  Metellus is a flexible piece in a complex D.  He has been ascending even before Flores was here, and now fills a big role in that D.

So the answer is a little of both, but he also probably makes others better as well.

greediron wrote:

I don't think Metellus is working on a blockbuster deal of a top safety.  But a healthy deal that shows his worth to Flores.  The defense has to have people that know their jobs and do them well.  Metellus is a flexible piece in a complex D.  He has been ascending even before Flores was here, and now fills a big role in that D.

So the answer is a little of both, but he also probably makes others better as well.

Agree. He won't get Bynum money, but I think it might be easier to find safeties who do what Bynum does than safeties who do all the Swiss Army, cerebral stuff Metellus does. That ability deserves to be rewarded.

Question though, if Flores leaves next year to be a head coach elsewhere, is Metellus still a 12 million dollar a year safety? I guess the question here is does the system make the man, or does the man make the system?

Vikesrock wrote:
Question though, if Flores leaves next year to be a head coach elsewhere, is Metellus still a 12 million dollar a year safety?  I guess the question here is does the system make the man, or does the man make the system?

The answer imo is yes...

I always felt players make the coaches in the NFL with the same holding true for systems/schemes employed. 

Which is another reason why continuity is so important. 

I think keeping KOC (and Wes) were important moves. Not sure BFlo is ever going to get another HC opportunity in the NFL?

Maybe college...

Vikesrock wrote:
Question though, if Flores leaves next year to be a head coach elsewhere, is Metellus still a 12 million dollar a year safety?  I guess the question here is does the system make the man, or does the man make the system?

I think the Vikings are in a unique situation to have coaches on both sides of the ball who are able to get more out of lesser players. Darnold was a good example on one side. Metellus might be the best example on the other. I could be wrong, but my gut tells me he may not even be a starter in a defense where he was a traditional safety playing a lot of deep half. But he sure seems to be ideal for the role Flo has him in. 

Metellus in 2024: 396 defensive snaps at slot cornerback, 377 off the ball in the box, 206 on the defensive line, 29 defending outside receivers and 55 as a free safety.

MaroonBells wrote:

I think the Vikings are in a unique situation to have coaches on both sides of the ball who are able to get more out of lesser players. Darnold was a good example on one side. Metellus might be the best example on the other. I could be wrong, but my gut tells me he may not even be a starter in a defense where he was a traditional safety playing a lot of deep half. But he sure seems to be ideal for the role Flo has him in. 

Metellus in 2024: 396 defensive snaps at slot cornerback, 377 off the ball in the box, 206 on the defensive line, 29 defending outside receivers and 55 as a free safety.

I agree with you 1000%.  It's one reason I have high hopes for the next few years.  Honestly, I hope Flores says screw it and stays here for the next 15 years.  The only downside to all this is what you said though, lesser guys can get big contracts because smart coaches make them look like much better players.  Does that hamper progression later on?  You know what, I sure would like to find out!  I know this horse has been beaten, kicked and thrown down a mine shaft already, but damnit it would have been great to have gotten Kyle Hamilton in this defense!

I don’t think there’s any reason to think Bynum is more highly valued than Metellus to us. They both had ~87-90% defensive snaps. Metellus had a higher PFF grade. Metellus was the guy we kept. Metellus has been said to be the guy that lets Flores have the flexibility to do whatever he wants with his scheme. I do think Bynum will end up being paid more because he hit the open market, whereas Metellus will likely be more willing to settle because his existing contract is so low and he’s under contract.

I do agree that as a more hybrid guy, he’s probably got less teams competing for his services, but I think those teams would more highly value what he brings to the table.

I do think we’ll miss the intangibles that Bynum brought to the team. He was a good dude and added a lot of fun to team and I’m sure he made work a lot more fun for his teammates. I’m not sure what dollar value you place on that though.

medaille wrote:
I don’t think there’s any reason to think Bynum is more highly valued than Metellus to us.  They both had ~87-90% defensive snaps.  Metellus had a higher PFF grade.  Metellus was the guy we kept.  Metellus has been said to be the guy that lets Flores have the flexibility to do whatever he wants with his scheme.  I do think Bynum will end up being paid more because he hit the open market, whereas Metellus will likely be more willing to settle because his existing contract is so low and he’s under contract.

I do agree that as a more hybrid guy, he’s probably got less teams competing for his services, but I think those teams would more highly value what he brings to the table.

I do think we’ll miss the intangibles that Bynum brought to the team.  He was a good dude and added a lot of fun to team and I’m sure he made work a lot more fun for his teammates.  I’m not sure what dollar value you place on that though.

Agree. Metellus probably has more value to the Minnesota Vikings than Bynum. But because Bynum translates to more teams than Metellus does, his value on the open market is likely higher. IOW, I don't see the Vikings giving Metellus $15M per. But they could double his salary and not even come close to that.