Cashman, AVG, O'Neil Extension Candidates Before Week 1
3 Vikings Contract Extension Candidates Before the 2026 Season Begins
Three core Vikings are entering the final year of their contract. How many will get extended before Week 1?
Now that Nolan Teasley has taken over as the Vikings' general manager, one potential item on his summer to-do list would be to get contract extensions done with a few key players who are entering the final year of their deals. All three of these players are integral pieces to Minnesota's puzzle and all three are exactly 30 years old at the moment, so they should still have some good football left.
LB Blake Cashman
Cashman is heading into the final season of the three-year, $22.5 million deal he signed with the Vikings as a free agent in 2024. The Eden Prairie native and former Gophers linebacker has been everything the Vikings were hoping for when they signed him, even if he's missed a few games due to injury in both of his seasons in Minnesota.
Cashman had an incredible 2024 campaign, recording 112 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 31 pressures, and 8 passes defended in 14 games. He followed that up with a 2025 that saw him rack up 144 tackles in 13 games, although his PFF coverage grade dropped and his pass rush production went down a bit as more blitz looks went to Eric Wilson.
Underrated nationally, Cashman is an excellent green-dot middle linebacker who defends the run at a high level and flies around the field as a tackler. The Vikings did draft Jake Golday in the second round this year, but the rookie profiles as a great complement to Cashman, not a replacement. Beyond Golday, there isn't much in the pipeline at off-ball linebacker, as the Vikings no longer seem to view Ivan Pace Jr. as a reliable three-down option.
OLB Andrew Van Ginkel
Another critical part of Brian Flores' defense, Van Ginkel is probably the Vikings' best player on that side of the ball now that Jonathan Greenard is no longer around. He was rewarded for his unbelievable 2024 campaign with a one-year, $23 million extension last offseason, but now he once again has no long-term security beyond this year. The Vikings should be looking to change that.
Van Ginkel is simply an irreplaceable, unique football player. He fits in Flores' scheme as well as any player fits into any scheme in the league. His instincts and versatility and all-around playmaking abilities aren't something that can be replicated, even if the Vikings may eventually try to train Golday in that same role. He turns 31 next month but hasn't shown any signs of falling off.
Van Ginkel's 2024 season speaks for itself. He finished seventh in DPOY voting and earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors after stuffing the stat sheet with 11.5 sacks, 50 pressures, 18 total TFL, 2 pick-sixes, 6 passes defended, and a forced fumble. He then missed five games last season but still finished with 7 sacks, 11 TFL, 10 PD, and a pick. Van Ginkel is a very good pass rusher and a ridiculously smart coverage player from the outside linebacker position. Especially with Greenard gone, the Vikings should be looking to keep "Gink" around for several more years.
RT Brian O'Neill
Neither Cashman nor O'Neill have been participating at recent Vikings OTA practices. Maybe they're dealing with some physically, or maybe they're protecting themselves in the hopes of landing a new contract soon. O'Neill is heading into the final year of a five-year, $92.5 million deal. His $23.1 million cap hit this year is the highest on the roster, and an extension could bring that down by pushing more money into the future.
O'Neill will be 31 in September, but he's been a model of consistency for the Vikings and has a well-rounded game that should age well. The two-time Pro Bowler has played in 124 of a possible 133 games since being drafted in 2018. He consistently earns very strong PFF grades in both pass protection and run blocking, which support the eye test. He's a leader and captain.
Vikings third-round rookie Caleb Tiernan could potentially replace O'Neill at right tackle in the future, but why let one of the most reliable players on the team wind up anywhere else?
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
All 3 of these guys are so important to this team...I hate like hell they're all in that 30'ish range.
I would say AVG is the most important signing of the 3, hate to lose any of em tbh.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
purplefaithful wrote:
All 3 of these guys are so important to this team...I hate like hell they're all in that 30'ish range.
I would say AVG is the most important signing of the 3, hate to lose any of em tbh.
I wonder if the Vikings might be waiting to see what they have in Golday and Tiernan before extending these three.
"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it”
MaroonBells wrote:
I wonder if the Vikings might be waiting to see what they have in Golday and Tiernan before extending these three.
that could very well be...I thought about Golday too.
That AVG role is a complex one - my $ is AVG gets one more contract here. Unless he goes crazy with his ask. Odds are less imo re: Cashman/O'Neil.
How is that lb class looking for 27????
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
I think you have to be VERY careful about extending guys over 30....Gink will be 31 next month. O'Neill 31 in September. I think MB is right, Golday and Tiernan ideally would be replacements for AVG and O'Neill, we'll see how that works. I can tell you that Tiernan is very highly thought of, don't sleep on that guy....he's a lot like Brian O'Neill.
StickierBuns wrote:
I think you have to be VERY careful about extending guys over 30....Gink will be 31 next month. O'Neill 31 in September. I think MB is right, Golday and Tiernan ideally would be replacements for AVG and O'Neill, we'll see how that works. I can tell you that Tiernan is very highly thought of, don't sleep on that guy....he's a lot like Brian O'Neill.
I've definitely been sleeping on Tiernan.
The news on the pick was the Vikings may have been jumped in the draft for OT right around Tiernan's spot...What I've read about the guy is depth and swing type.
But I'd certainly be happy if his ceiling was higher than that.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
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