Lindsey Young

EAGAN, Minn.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. The announcement occurred prior to the first practice of the team's three-day mandatory minicamp. He spoke with media members and signed the deal after the session.

"I'm stoked. I couldn't be more happy," Oliver said. "I just want to thank God. You know, it's a blessing, and without Him I couldn't be here. I also want to thank the Wilf [family] for allowing me to have this opportunity and be in this organization.

"Super excited to be with a team that has a culture like we have, like K.O. (Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell) and [General Manager] Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah] have built. I just couldn't think of a better place to be."

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.

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.

Vikings running back Aaron Jones, Sr., noted that Oliver often flies beneath the radar.

"I feel like he doesn't get the recognition he deserves; essentially, he's another tackle out there playing," Jones said. "[Defenders] don't necessarily know it until he goes to block them. We know it on our side, though, so I'm excited for him, glad to keep him here and continue to run behind him.

"He's a vicious guy when it comes to blocking, putting his hand in the dirt," Jones added. "He's the best in the league, if you ask me."

Beyond the run blocking success, 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.

"He's versatile," Jones said. "I think that's the big thing people fall asleep on. We have T.J. [Hockenson], who's doing a lot of the pass catching, so they fall asleep when [Oliver] is out there. They think, 'Oh, he's just hand in the dirt, going to block outside zone, or mid zone,' something like that. Until his hand's in the dirt and you see him release then guys are scrambling. 'OK, this dude's kind of fast, and he's big.'

"It gives you different places to put the ball up. He's a big target," he added. "He can go up, he can jump. He's like a power forward out there, if you ask me."

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.

He's looking forward to adding to those numbers.

"As I said, the culture, the players in the locker room man, you just love coming to work every day," Oliver said. "Top-class organization, and I'm super happy about [staying here]."

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 alsosigned free agentGiovanni Ricci.

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