The Minnesota Vikings made some waves on Tuesday afternoon. First, they had quarterback J.J. McCarthy and three other players speak to the media after practice at OTAs. That gave us a lot of cool soundbites and McCarthy exuded every ounce of confidence you would have hoped to see.
Hearing from McCarthy and the others wasn't the only thing that happened on Tuesday, as the Vikings signed edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel to a one-year contract extension.
Andrew Van Ginkel's extension means nothing for Dallas Turner
The extension was a well-deserved one for Van Ginkel, as he was in the final year of a two-year, $20 million contract. The move essentially turns the next two years' of his contract to be worth approximately $34 million with $27.4 million fully guaranteed. He was a second-team All-Pro with 11.5 sacks, 18.0 tackles for loss, and two pick-sixes.
In a vacuum, extending the 29-year-old Van Ginkel to keep him through the 2026 season makes a lot of sense. You want to be the organization that rewards players for playing really well. Even so, it raises questions about how the Vikings feel about last year's first-round pick, Dallas Turner.
Here's the reality: extending Van Ginkel means nothing for the future of Turner.
The common argument that you see floating around is based upon Turner still not being "a starter" in Brian Flores' defense. It's honestly not a big deal that Turner isn't a starter, especially at a position like edge rusher.
On the defensive line, you want to have plenty of players who can rotate in and out. The Philadelphia Eagles have rotated players consistently over the last decade. Having that kind of depth has been huge for them, making the Super Bowl in three of the last eight years, with them bringing home two of them.
Turner is going to be a key piece to the Vikings' defense this next year in the same way that Nolan Smith started last season before taking over a full-time starting role.
If you want to know how the Vikings really feel about the future of Turner, don't look at his 312 snaps from last year. Look at the fact that the Vikings didn't bring back either of Jihad Ward or Pat Jones II. The only competition that Turner would have for the EDGE3 spot is either Gabe Murphy or Bo Richter. After them, it's UDFAs and fifth-round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who is more of a tweener.
Need proof that he was starting to come along at the end of the season? The interception he had against the Seattle Seahawks is a prime example of what he can do.
Yes, it's frustrating when your first-round pick doesn't perform immediately, especially when you traded multiple picks to move up for him. However, it's less about the rookie year and more about the years following it. Things are still looking good for Turner, and we will start seeing that come September.
