Metellus Signs!

The Minnesota Vikings have had an active and efficient business. Their last bit of business was signing versatile defensive weapon Joshua Metellus to a contract extension. Not only was the versatile defender on the last year of his contract, he’d outplayed the value of that contract over the last two years playing for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. On and off the field, Metellus has emerged as one of the most valuable players on the roster. The Vikings had to keep him and he wanted to stay in Minnesota. A contract extension had to get done and it got done yesterday. The Vikings and Metellus agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $36 million with a maximum value of $42 million. It includes $25 million in guarantees. The positional versatility of Metellus is a great thing on the football field but it must’ve made for difficult contract negotiations. All player contract negotiations start with the going rates of contracts for players at that position. There’s no other defensive player in the league that plays all over a defense like Metellus. NFL Films caught a post-game conversation between Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane and Metellus. Spillane asked Metellus “What are you?” He’s a special football player and the Vikings had to get this deal done. Thankfully, team and player got it done. 

Joshua Metellus has had an interesting NFL career. I didn’t know much about him entering the 2020 NFL Draft. The Vikings had Harrison Smith and an emerging Anthony Harris so safety wasn’t a significant need. I had to do a bit of research to familiarize myself with this Michigan safety the Vikings had just selected in the sixth round. The sentence in a draft profile of his that’s stuck with me is: “When he gets on the field, he isn’t coming off.” He sounded like a player that plays well beyond his modest athletic traits. With COVID, 2020 was a difficult time for everyone. Navigating that time was difficult for a sixth-round rookie trying to make an NFL roster. Metellus had no preseason games to show what he could do. He was cut out of training camp but was brought back after the start of the season. It was a humbling start. Playing in 15 games that first season, he gradually established himself as a valuable special teams player. That role grew over his first three seasons and his value to the team earned him a “C” on his jersey. It also earned him a second contract in 2023. It was a decent special teams deal that he immediately outplayed under a new defensive coordinator. Brian Flores took the valuable, versatile special teams player and turned him into a defensive chess piece that he could move all over the field. In many ways, the versatility of Metellus became the centerpiece of the Vikings defense. In two seasons, he’s become invaluable. But, “what is he?” That’s a question that opposing offenses are going to be trying to answer for at least the next four seasons. 

Congratulations Joshua Metellus! The new deal is very much deserved. You earned it.