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Vikings agree to terms on Josh Oliver contract extension

By Lindsey Young

Josh Oliver is stickin' around a while.

The Vikings on Tuesday announced they have agreed to terms with Oliver on a three-year extension to keep the tight end in Purple through the 2028 season.

During the 2024 season, Oliver posted single-season career highs in receiving yards (258) and receiving touchdowns (three) and tied his career best in receptions with 22 in 15 games, including 12 starts. He additionally recorded 50 receiving yards in consecutive weeks for the first time in his career with his Week 9 (58 yards) and Week 10 (52) performances.

Oliver boasted the second-highest rating among all tight ends in 2024 with at least 20 targets, catching 22 of his 28 targets for 258 yards and three touchdowns for a 140.8 rating, according to Next Gen Stats. Only Baltimore's Mark Andrews — who hauled in 55 of his 69 targets for 673 yards and 11 touchdowns — finished with a better rating of 140.9.

According to analytics site Pro Football Focus, Oliver led the NFL among tight ends with a 74.2 run-blocking grade in 2024 and earned the fourth-highest grade during the 2023 season with a 73.9.

Oliver initially joined the Vikings in March 2023 as a free agent. Through his first two seasons in Minnesota, he's totaled 44 catches for 471 yards and five touchdowns.

The California native started his NFL journey in Jacksonville in 2019 after being drafted 69th overall out of San Jose State. Oliver spent two seasons with the Jaguars before he was traded to Baltimore, where he spent the next two seasons (2021-22).

Oliver is part of a Vikings tight ends room that includes T.J. Hockenson and 2025 sixth-round draft pick Gavin Bartholomew. Bryson Nesbit and Ben Yurosek were signed as undrafted rookies, and Minnesota on Tuesday also signed free agent Giovanni Ricci.

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