The Minnesota Vikings signed tight end Josh Oliver to a three-year, $21 million contract. It is an eyebrow-raising amount that speaks to his value. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell named Oliver as the best “blocking tight end” on his list of top “luxury players.”
The numbers back up the Vikings’ faith. Moreover, Barnwell notes the former Jacksonville Jaguars third-round pick is versatile enough to create hesitation in opponents.
Still, Barnwell underscored how his “lofty” payday was telling.
“It’s clear that the Vikings see their second tight end as a critical part of the offense,” Barnwell wrote on June 19. “It’s the second time the Vikings have paid Oliver, who joined the team on a three-year, $21 million deal two years ago.
“The numbers back up the idea that Oliver is an elite blocker. He ranked fourth among eligible tight ends in ESPN’s run block win rate a year ago, finishing just behind a former teammate in now-Jaguars tight end Johnny Mundt. NFL Next Gen Stats credited Oliver with only two pressures allowed across 55 pass-blocking snaps, producing a pressure rate that was just about half the league average among tight ends.”
Barnwell said it is difficult to say if Oliver is worth the substantial salary edge he has over similar players. He did note how key a role the 28-year-old could play for the Vikings next season.
The Vikings have the third-highest-paid TE group in 2025 at $28.6 million, per Over The Cap.
Vikings TE Josh Oliver Part of League-Wide Trend
GettyJosh Oliver #84 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball after a catch against the Tennessee Titans.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks noted the shift in teams’ personnel usage in recent seasons. They have moved toward two-tight-end looks.
“Instead of trotting out 11 personnel (3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB) to spread out defenses stocked with extra defensive backs and hybrid linebackers, shrewd schemers are utilizing old-school formations from 12 personnel packages (2 WRs, 2 TEs, 1 RB) to create and exploit mismatches all over the field,” Brooks wrote in May 2024.
“Last season, teams utilized 12 personnel on 19.3 percent of offensive snaps, ranking behind only 11 personnel (62.1%) for the most common usage. That ranked as the second-highest rate of 12 personnel deployment in a single season during the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).”
Brooks noted that the mark in 2023 (18.4%) was “not a drastic” difference from 2024.
Still, the Vikings ranked third in 12 personnel usage during the 2024 regular season, per Sumer Sports. They remain built for success once and could be even better.
“The Vikings’ ability to succeed in 12 personnel is crucial to their offensive success. Their 81.6 team PFF overall grade when in 12 personnel last season tied for fifth best. They also ranked fourth in yards per play and second in successful play rate in those sets,” Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman wrote on June 2.
“Minnesota’s greatest asset in 12 personnel is its tight ends, T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Not only are they talented players, but they complement each other extremely well.”
Wasserman noted that Oliver’s ability to block in-line, particularly in the run game. Oliver ranks second among qualifiers in run-blocking grade from 2022 through 2024. Hockenson is fifth with an 84.3 mark over the last three seasons.
“His blocking prowess and Hockenson’s versatility give the Vikings’ 12-personnel grouping the feel of an 11-personnel unit.
Wasserman also touted the Vikings’ wide receiver corps as “one of the league’s best.”
That, a revamped offensive line, and a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, who operated from that grouping more than any other Power Four QB and displayed a high level of “comfort” in them, have Oliver and the Vikings primed for success.
Josh Oliver Offers ‘Just’ Enough Versatility
GettyJosh Oliver #84 of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass against the Detroit Lions.
The 6-foot-5, 259-pound veteran, Oliver, caught 22 passes for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns during the 2024 regular season. He has a 70-701-7 line for his career, leading to the “lofty” assessment of his contract.
“Oliver is just good enough of a receiver to give teams pause when he’s running routes up the seam and off play-action boot concepts,” Barnwell wrote. “Combine that with great blocking and he’s a very useful player, one who lined up on just about half of the offensive snaps for the Vikings in 2024.”
Barnwell called Oliver an “undervalued” example of players who could see the field “more than ever before.”
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