Minnesota Vikings Get Good News on $104 Million Star

“The 23rd overall selection of the 2021 NFL Draft was tracking at a Pro Bowl-caliber level when he suffered the injury just before halftime,” Craig Peters of Vikings.com wrote. “The Vikings worked out a trade for Cam Robinson just ahead of the trade deadline last year, but Robinson became a free agent and signed with Houston this spring.”

Christian Darrisaw Among NFL’s Best Offensive Tackles in 2024

GettyOffensive tackle Christian Darrisaw of the Minnesota Vikings.

Darrisaw played in just seven games last season, but he was one of the best offensive tackles in the game when he was healthy.

Pro Football Focus ranked Darrisaw as the 11th-best tackle in the league out of 140 players who saw enough snaps to qualify at the position in 2024. Darrisaw inked a four-year extension worth $104 million with the Vikings in July 2024 that keeps him under contract in Minnesota through 2029.

Darrisaw will play next season at 26 years old.

Vikings Spent Big in Free Agency to Bolster Offensive Line

GettyFormer Indianapolis Colts offensive guard Will Fries.

Along with Darrisaw’s return will be the arrivals of multiple high-level linemen to reinforce the interior of the Vikings’ offensive line.

Chief among them is Will Fries, an offensive guard who has spent his entire career with the Indianapolis Colts to this point. Joining Fries from Indy is center Ryan Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowler with the Colts. Fries inked a five-year deal worth $88 million, while Kelly signed a two-year contract worth $18 million total.

Minnesota also focused on the offensive line in the draft. The Vikings selected offensive guard Donovan Jackson out of Ohio State with the No. 24 overall pick.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN predicted on April 26 that Jackson will end up starting on the left side in place of 2024 starter Blake Brandel.

“Rarely do you see an NFL team take such a single-minded approach, not to mention devote this level of resources, to fix a personnel problem as the Vikings have this offseason for their interior offensive line,” Seifert wrote. “There seems to be little doubt that Jackson, barring injury, will be a starter at some point in his rookie season.”

Minnesota did not select another offensive lineman in the draft, but looks to have an entirely new starting lineup across the center and guard positions, which should make the unit formidable with the return of Darrisaw to the mix.