As the Minnesota Vikings create their contemporary core, they will hand out extensions to players who will remain important parts of the team for the next half-decade or longer. The most publicized extension process will be Justin Jefferson’s, but Christian Darrisaw’s extension may be an underrated necessity.
Darrisaw is already regarded as a top-10 tackle in the NFL and has performed to that standard, allowing only five sacks and six hurries as a second-year player. If his current trajectory continues, Darrisaw projects as a continual contender for the best offensive tackle in the NFL.
He’s another piece of the future who the Vikings shouldn’t let escape. He will be an elite blindside protector for whoever quarterbacks the team for the next decade. Darrisaw is under contract until after 2024, with a fifth-year option available to the team.
While injuries have been an issue, Darrrisaw figures to have his best season yet in terms of of availability. He missed time as a rookie recovering from a nagging groin injury suffered during his final season at Virginia Tech and also endured repeated concussions during the 2022 campaign.
Darrisaw will use the VICIS Trench, the No. 1-rated helmet by NFL testing, to avoid repetitive issues stemming from the concussions. He also underwent neck strength training during the offseason.
When on the field, though, Darrisaw is dominant. Marked during the 2022 preseason by many analysts as a possible breakout player for the Vikings, he met expectations and then some. Darrisaw finished with a 90.3 PFF grade, charting a 90.2 run-blocking grade and 81.8 pass-blocking grade over 652 snaps.
Darrisaw finished as the sixth-highest tackle in the performance metric of run-block win rate. He dominated in the run game, opening up massive holes on the left side of the line, and was excellent in protecting Kirk Cousins against opposing edge rushers.
While there is still room for Darrisaw to improve, his ceiling seems nearly limitless. In the first two years of his career, he’s compiled 71.9 and 90.3 PFF grades while allowing 10 sacks and 21 hurries in 24 games. Through the first two years of Joe Thomas’ career, he received PFF grades of 84.9 and 88.1 while allowing six sacks and 34 hurries. Darrisaw has a smaller sample size to work with, but a comparison to the HOF offensive tackle is very impressive.
Left tackles account for roughly 6% of the salary cap in the NFL, and the Vikings need to financially account for several other high-caliber talents. How can Minnesota structure a deal that will sate Darrisaw’s desires and keep them towards the median of the financial pyramid?
A deal that could serve as a guide is that of Baltimore Ravens’ tackle Ronnie Stanley. He’s an elite tackle and invaluable to Baltimore’s run-heavy scheme when healthy. Stanley’s rookie years profile similarly to Darrisaw’s rookie play, but Darrisaw vastly outpaces Stanley’s second year, showing glimpses of an elite ceiling.
Ronnie Stanley 5y/$99m ($64m gtd. at signing)
Stanley’s deal is structured to create space by having a small cap hit in the early years. If the Vikings were to choose to frontload the impending Jefferson extension, it could provide breathing room and keep the team from pressing against the cap ceiling from year to year.
The deal averages $19.75 million per year, and Stanley is among the top-paid tackles in the NFL in AAV. Signing Darrisaw to a deal like this would provide stability for Darrisaw and substantial guaranteed money while providing for the ever-shifting tackle market to grow beyond the deal as the cap ceiling rises. Eventually, that makes it a steal for the Vikings like Danielle Hunter’s first extension.
While it could be a risk for the Vikings, Darrisaw’s immense talent and improvement should inspire confidence within the organization. His power and reach are within the highest talent tier, and he dominates without looking like he gives much effort. Ultimately, Minnesota will benefit from acting early*, and signing Darrisaw to a deal with substantial guaranteed money in which the cap can grow around would likely satisfy both parties.
Darrisaw is already a top-10 tackle and can grow into a perennial contender for OT1 in the league. The Vikings will benefit from his continued services and should look to lock him up for as long as possible. Teams will soon be writing checks for rising tackles like Andrew Thomas, Penei Sewell, and Tristan Wirfs, and the Vikings would benefit from getting ahead of the curve with their premier player.
*Darrisaw is not eligible for an extension until after his third season. (h/t Luke Braun, @LukeBraunNFL)
