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Vikings extension rumors still center around one of their 2020 first-round picks, but the final first-rounder from Rick Spielman‘s GM tenure is also now eligible for a big-ticket deal. Although Justin Jefferson is not yet signed, the Vikings have also begun talks with their 2021 first-round pick.
Christian Darrisaw has become one of the NFL’s better tackles, and he is now under contract through 2025 by virtue of Minnesota making the predictable call to exercise his fifth-year option. Although the Vikings have some time with Darrisaw, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes the team has begun extension discussions with its fourth-year left tackle.
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s draft choices are not yet extension-eligible, but his predecessor left the team with two cornerstones. Jefferson looks to be angling for the NFL’s top non-quarterback contract, which could take the wide receiver market to or beyond $35M per year. Darrisaw will likely be aiming at a top-market LT accord. The former No. 23 overall pick has been Minnesota’s LT starter since Week 6 of his rookie season.
No Pro Bowls appear on Darrisaw’s resume, but he has received quality reviews. ESPN’s run-block win rate metric ranked the Virginia Tech product sixth in 2022; Pro Football Focus slotted him second among all tackles that season. PFF graded Darrisaw as the NFL’s eighth-best tackle last season. Set to turn 25 on Sunday, Darrisaw should be coming into his prime.
The Vikings are shifting their expenses around this offseason, having separated from Kirk Cousins after six years. But a $28.5M dead-money bill is still due this year because of the void years the team placed on its longtime QB1’s contract. Minnesota, however, will be clear of that charge by 2025, when the team will be building around J.J. McCarthy‘s rookie deal. With the No. 10 overall pick tied to a rookie contract through at least 2026, the Vikings have some opportunities to load up their roster around the Michigan prospect. The Vikings also have just one O-lineman (right tackle Brian O’Neill) signed to an upper-crust contract.
While Jefferson is tied to a fifth-year option for this season, the Vikings picking up Darrisaw’s option ($16M) covers the 2025 campaign. Minnesota has some time with its blindside blocker, and Seifert adds nothing is viewed as imminent. Since the 2011 CBA brought the fifth-year option, the Vikings have never gone through with an extension for a first-rounder with two years of control remaining. Darrisaw is currently tied to a $2.48M base salary.
Laremy Tunsil‘s $25M-per-year deal leads left tackles, but the Lions gave Penei Sewell
$28M per year to introduce a new tier for the RT market. How the Buccaneers proceed with Tristan Wirfs will be pivotal as well. While the Vikings may not be keen on matching where the Bucs go for Wirfs, as the former Super Bowl starter is a two-time All-Pro, that extension moving the market would pertain to Minnesota’s Darrisaw talks. For now, the fourth-year lineman is clearly in the NFC North club’s long-term plans.
More must-reads:
- Vikings re-sign veteran OL to one-year deal
- What Vikings' Josh McCown learned amid struggles of Panthers' Bryce Young
- The 'Minnesota Vikings head coaches' quiz
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Predicting the standings for each NFL division
With the NFL season about to kick off, there's no better time to look ahead and predict how the division standings will shake out by season's end. This week, Yardbarker's NFL crew came together to do just that.
Jelena Ostapenko responds to racism allegations after post-match confrontation with Taylor Townsend
Post-Ashton Jeanty era gets off to brutal start for No. 25 Boise State
There had to be at least some expectation that the Boise State Broncos were going to take a small step backwards in 2025. They probably just did not expect it to happen so soon in the season, and so emphatically. The No. 25 ranked Broncos were absolutely humiliated on Thursday night, losing 34-7 to an unranked South Florida team that was just 7-6 a year ago. It was a rude awakening for what might be ahead for Boise State following the departure of Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty's historic season helped carry the Broncos to an 12-1 regular season, with the only regular season loss being a three-point defeat to Oregon early in the season. They ended up in the College Football Playoff where they lost their first game to Penn State. But with Jeanty on to the NFL (a first-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders) there was always going to be a huge hole for them to replace. Not only in terms of production and skill, but also in their identity. They had none of that power-running identity on Thursday. Not only did they allow 34 consecutive points to South Florida, but the Broncos also managed to rush for only 122 yards on 38 carries, coming out to just 3.2 yards per attempt. They averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2024, tied for the second-highest mark in college football. On one hand, losing an early season game isn't the end of the world, especially in the era of expanded playoffs. Boise State could still run the table the rest of the way with a very manageable schedule and play its way back into playoff contention. It's also not uncommon for teams to struggle early in the season. There is no preseason in college football and everybody is just coming in cold right into real games. Sometimes teams take a while to get moving. But this is not a particularly good South Florida team, and for Boise State to come out so flat and be so uncompetitive in the opener is a bad sign for what might be ahead.
Jerry Jones Has a ‘1-Word’ Response to How Other Cowboys Players Can Get Contract Extension After Micah Parsons Saga
Jerry Jones remains adamant that he handled Micah Parsons‘ contract negotiations perfectly, despite handing the edge rusher over to a team that humiliated the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs a little over a year ago. The veteran owner asserted that his approach to future contract talks will stay the same. Jones and Parsons had a verbal agreement in place regarding his extension in April. Parsons had no qualms about the number he was offered, but he wanted to run it by his agent, David Mulugheta, before making the deal official. The Cowboys brass did not receive the memo. An emotionally hurt Parsons requested a trade. He wanted to leave the Dallas franchise. Several teams inquired about him. The Green Bay Packers eventually offered the best deal. Jones agreed to do business with the Packers because the NFC North side had the necessary cap space to pay Parsons. We only picked teams that had room on their cap, that can pay Micah, and we only picked teams that had top tackles. Interior tackles… that we wanted to have any dialog at all about a trade. That was the criteria of trading. Top existing tackle that could come in here and play for us right now. Jerry Jones said (H/T: FOX Sports) According to inside sources, Parsons had a $40 million deal on the table from the Cowboys. He declined to accept the terms. The Packers offered him a $47 million/year contract in exchange for two first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark. Clark is a three-time Pro Bowler with nine years of experience under his belt. However, he only logged 37 total tackles and 1 sack in 2024. Meanwhile, Parsons sacked NFL quarterbacks 12 times despite missing four games last year. Jerry Jones will continue to play hardball with player contracts Jones’ press conference following the trade explained his thought process that went into dealing with Parsons and his agent, or the lack of it. Will he take lessons and revise his way of handling player contracts? Unfortunately, Jerry Jones prefers dealing with players as if he’s negotiating in the 1990s. Quarterback Dak Prescott faced it, and so did CeeDee Lamb, Dez Bryant, and Emmitt Smith before them. And it’s likely to continue in 2026 when the Cowboys have to hold talks with DaRon Bland, Donovan Wilson, Dante Fowler Jr., CJ Goodwin, and a few others. There’s every possibility that these guys might experience the same as Parsons next year. So, what should they do when the time arrives? Jones, with a smirk on his face, said, “Ask Dak.” Prescott’s standoff lasted the entire 2024 offseason. He eventually signed a $61.5 million AAV deal to become the highest-paid quarterback ever. When you’re here in this organization, this is just how you see things are done, whether they’re right, wrong or whoever has their view about them. But what I think that does help is allow us just to stay focused on our jobs and understanding that us putting energy towards any of that doesn’t help. Dak Prescott said (H/T: Fansided) It’s unclear whether Prescott faced the same situation as Parsons or whether he was ever on the verge of a trade. Judging by the Pro Bowler’s latest statement, there may be hidden details that the Cowboys’ front office doesn’t want the general public to find out. Regardless, Parsons is no longer a Cowboy, which complicates their position in the NFC. With the Philadelphia Eagles waiting to host them in week one, they must quickly find another LB who can fill in until Clark gets the hang of Matt Eberflus’ defensive playbook.
Former Yankees Closer Turns Career Around with Rival Club
Rebounding from adversity is not an easy thing to do, but it seems that a former New York Yankees powerhouse pitcher has done it. Ex-Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has turned his career around completely after a bad ending in New York. The “Cuban Missile” was once seen to be a specimen of a reliever until mental and physical struggles prevailed. When discussing adversity, Chapman went through it from the start. Being a Cuban national, his baseball career was already uncertain. Chapman defected from Cuba and made his way to the United States, where he became a star with the Cincinnati Reds. The big lefty’s adversities continued, as he was faced with a severe injury after being hit in the head with a line drive back to the mound. He then signed a huge deal with the Yankees in 2015 and became a superstar. The left-hander spent seven total seasons with the Yankees in two stints. Some were memorable, some were forgettable. Chapman’s last few seasons in the Bronx were not ones to remember. It is now 2025, and he is reborn as a trustworthy closer in Boston. From the Bronx to Boston: Aroldis Chapman’s Career Resurgence Aroldis Chapman was a three-time All-Star with the Yankees. His role as a closer was solidified, and in all three of those All-Star seasons, Chapman recorded 30-plus saves. Where did things go downhill? Well, in two instances: when hitters figured out his pitch repertoire, and when his maturity got in the way of his performance. Chapman was a rocket fastballer, which is why he was labelled a “missile.” He got up to 102 mph, and stayed almost consistently in the triple-digits. At one point, it seemed that his sole reliance was on his velocity, which didn’t last long. 102 mph in was 111 mph out, if caught flat in the zone, which was typically the case. In 2021 and 2024, his hard-hit percentage was over 40%. Command was also an issue for the left-hander, as wild pitches and bases-on-balls were consistent. Chapman maintained a walk percentage above 14% for five seasons dating back to 2018. He was not only with the Yankees in this span, but also spent time with the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Chapman’s maturity was testing the Yankees organization. The structured environment was breached many times by immature and selfish decisions by Chapman. The closer got a tattoo in-season, which caused an infection, disallowing his activity. He was also defiant, deciding to skip mandatory team workouts based on his own thought process. Chapman was later disregarded and put up on the trade market. Fast forward to the present day, where Chapman closes for the Boston Red Sox, and has made changes. Chapman’s Present-Day Self is Valuable Now 37 years of age, Chapman’s overall character has leveled out to be a competitor, good teammate, and effective closer. He has been kept in line by a strict Red Sox environment. His performance has followed suit as well. From 2018 to 2024, Chapman’s walk rate averaged around 14%. In 2025, he currently holds a 7% rate, slashing that average in half. He maintains his velocity, increasing up to 105 mph and clocking consistently at 103 mph. Age has not ruined this feature. Chapman has improved his repertoire, commanding the fastball better, staying in and out of the zone. He also incorporated a splitter and is utilizing his sinker and slider more effectively. Chapman currently holds a 1.04 ERA with 26 saves, 74 strikeouts, 14 walks, and a 4-2 record in 52 innings pitched. The southpaw closer has revived his profile and is in the running for a postseason opportunity on the dark side (for Yankees fans, anyway) of the American League East.
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