Latest news with #JoshMetellus
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vikings Star Gets Honest About Missing Practice Amid Contract Dispute
Vikings Star Gets Honest About Missing Practice Amid Contract Dispute originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It was out of character for Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus to be missing from the practice field for voluntary OTAs a week ago. Advertisement However, a trend has continued for the Vikings team captain and emotional leader of the team, who sat out 7-on-7s during mandatory minicamps on Tuesday. The assumption: Metellus, in the final year of his contract, is looking for a new deal. After practice on Wednesday, June 11, Metellus addressed his absence from team activities. Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) is a limited participant at mandatory minicamps amid a contract negotiation with the team.© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports "It's all good, that's part of the process right now. I mean, the coaches, front office, everybody understands, you know, situation I'm here," Metellus told KSTP's Darren Wolfson on June 11. "I'm building that chemistry with my new teammates and the old teammates, and I'm here being the same guy I am all the time. So you guys know me. It ain't nothing change.' Two summers ago, the Vikings proactively signed Metellus to a two-year, $8 million extension with the hopes that he would seize a prominent role in the first year under Brian Flores. Advertisement He did that, and then some. After starting just three games in three years as a 2020 sixth-round pick, Metellus has started 27 games and surpassed 1,000 defensive snaps each of the past two seasons since Flores arrived. Metellus has become an integral part of the Flores' amoebic defense that lines versatile players all over the field. Metellus is arguably the defense's most versatile player, capable of lining up at over a dozen positions as both a cover man and a pass rusher. That's made his contract negotiations tricky when considering what he is worth to the team. Metellus said that despite all the versatility, he values himself as a safety and merely learned all those roles to have an impact behind Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum, who signed with a $15-million-a-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts in March. Advertisement "I kind of had to, we had a Hall of Famer and a guy getting paid $15 million back there," Metellus said of his learning his hybrid role. "I had to find a way to fit in." Metellus should garner a contract in the ballpark of Bynum's deal in Indianapolis, which ranks 10th in average annual value at the position. "At the end of the day, I came in this league at safety, that's forever going to be my true position," Metellus added. "All the other stuff, I think, adds to my value. But at the end of the day, I'm a ball player -- 1,000 snaps at whatever position, I'm going to do everything to help the team win.' Related: Randy Moss' Son Reacts After Going Unsigned at Vikings Tryout Related: Packers Predicted to Replace Jaire Alexander With Ex-Viking, Former All-Pro This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Vikings minicamp: Dallas Turner makes play of the day, but will he get more snaps?
EAGAN, Minn. — Locating Dallas Turner on the field is not tricky. Look for the green mouth guard flopping beneath the facemask. It's usually near the line of scrimmage, swaying back and forth before the snap. But not this time, not amid an early seven-on-seven rep during Tuesday afternoon's mandatory minicamp practice for the Minnesota Vikings. Advertisement On this play, Turner lined up as an off-ball linebacker in the middle of the field, his eyes watching the quarterback and his bright red no-contact jersey. Most drills feel like walk-throughs this time of year, especially with how the Vikings value player health over the summer. This one differed in that the wideouts sprinted off the line of scrimmage. Turner floated backward into coverage. His vision shifted back and forth between the quarterback and the nearest receiver. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores had called a zone coverage, and here Turner was, moving fluidly, looking like he was meant to be there, roaming perfectly in the receiver's window. Just as the ball arrived, he batted it away. His teammates noticed. When asked after practice about Turner's growth, veteran safety Josh Metellus mentioned the deflection. 'I'm loving what I'm seeing,' he said. 'He is able to show that growth right now, and that's what you want.' The bar to clear may be low given the number of full-speed reps, but if there were an award for minicamp play of the day, that would take the cake. It's not that Turner's play was a huge surprise. Rewatch last year's game in Seattle against Geno Smith and the Seahawks, and you'll stumble upon a well-read, second-quarter interception by Turner in the flat. It's more that the 2024 first-round pick who played sparingly on defense last year is taking advantage of every opportunity to show his stuff. .@UnoErra snags it! 📺: @NFLonFOX — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 22, 2024 Not that the 22-year-old needs to prove what he's capable of, by the way. Flores reiterated multiple times last season that Turner's lack of playing time was primarily a byproduct of the two talented edge rushers occupying the every-down spots. Andrew Van Ginkel earned an All-Pro honor, and Jonathan Greenard was also deserving. They combined for 138 tackles, 23 1/2 sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. It felt like Van Ginkel possessed an almost telepathic knowledge of what the opposing team was trying to do. Greenard, meanwhile, maintained an energy level that made you wonder if he was recharging electronically between series. Advertisement Flores didn't view Turner as a backup-level player — 'I see it as three starters,' he said Tuesday. Two additional factors were working against Turner. First, he injured his knee in Week 2 against San Francisco, sidelining him the following week and halting whatever momentum he had created. Second, he was new to a complex defensive system. Learning to be an edge rusher at the pro level is a challenge in itself, but Turner is also athletic and smart enough to play inside linebacker. Each spot requires different techniques. Mastery requires patience, a quality that is rare in NFL circles. Outwardly, Turner didn't struggle with the minimal snaps. He said all of the right things in interviews throughout the season. That he was absorbing knowledge from Greenard and Van Ginkel. That he knew his time would come. These comments showed his professionalism, but privately, he had a burning desire to see more of the field. So much so that not even a month after the Vikings lost in the playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams, Turner texted longtime trainer Javon Gopie to ask when they could begin workouts. Most NFL players were vacationing, sipping beverages in tropical climates. Gopie, who has worked with Greenard, Denver's Nik Bonitto and Miami's Jaelan Phillips, understood Turner's fire but encouraged him to take more time. 'I had to turn him down, just encourage him to take more time off,' Gopie said recently. 'He was super-motivated, man.' When they finally began meeting on turf fields under the blazing Miami sun, one of their conversations revolved around Bonitto. He and Turner had played together at renowned St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Both stood around 6-foot-3 and weighed close to 240 pounds. They shared traits, both moving smoothly in their pursuit of the quarterback. Advertisement Bonitto's professional arc started slowly — he only played 357 defensive snaps as a rookie. The uptick in snaps during his second season coincided with more sack production. What Gopie wanted to talk to Turner about was Bonitto's 2024 season: the 13 1/2 sacks, the overall pressure production, the interception returned for a touchdown. 'What'd you think about Nik's year?' Gopie asked Turner on the metal benches before a workout. 'What'd that mean to you?' 'You have no idea,' Turner responded. Gopie's take on its effect? Knowing what Bonitto accomplished suggested Turner could also reside in that upper echelon of NFL pass rushers. 'He's one of one, man,' Gopie said. 'I have no doubt, based on the reps, that he's a 10-plus-sack guy.' It's not a matter of mindset, at least not according to Flores, who complimented the high standard Turner sets for himself. Nor is it a matter of being willing to take coaching. Turner checks the professional boxes. The only remaining question is the one Gopie alluded to, the one about where the playing time will come from. Flores hasn't tipped his hand there, other than to say, 'Dallas is coming into his own as far as how he's going to contribute as a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages.' His point? The green mouth guard could be all over the place this fall. Maybe he'll stay stationary on the edge, or maybe he'll shift from the inside linebacker spot to the A-gap. That he's capable of doing all of this — and, more importantly, doing it well — is why he's worth playing in the first place.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Concerns Grow Over Vikings Team Captain Josh Metellus' Behavior at OTAs
Concerns Grow Over Vikings Team Captain Josh Metellus' Behavior at OTAs originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Minnesota Vikings safety and team captain Josh Metellus' participation in voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) has drawn some concerns. Advertisement While head coach Kevin O'Connell said that a near 100% of his roster is participating at OTAs, Metellus' presence has suggested that mark comes with an asterisk. According to Minnesota Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling, Metellus has not been the same active leader he's proven himself to be at this stage of the offseason due to a contractual standoff with the team. Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44)Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images On a June 3 episode of the "Access Vikings" podcast, Goessling suggested that Metellus, in the final year of his contract, may be staging a hold-in at OTAs until he gets a new deal with limited participation this spring. "I think there's interest from both sides in continuing that relationship and that he continues to be an important piece of the defense in Minnesota, but as of now, that contract is not done, and I don't think there's really much in terms of guaranteed money for him at this point," Goessling said. "[Metellus] may be saying, 'I'm gonna be here so I can get my workout bonus, but I'm gonna mitigate some of what I do so that I'm not putting myself at more risk when I don't have a guaranteed contract going forward beyond this year and I want to see something get done.' Advertisement "It's one of those things to keep an eye on. I don't know for sure that that's the only reason for it. It's possible, I suppose, that he's coming back from something (injury-wise). But the Occam's razor there would suggest that the contract is at least a factor in some of the way that he's going about it in practices that we've seen, at least to this point." In the final year of a two-year, $8 million extension that he signed before he became a 1,000-snap starter for Brian Flores' defense, Metellus has outplayed the deal significantly. He signed the contract as a former sixth-round pick and special teamer that Flores envisioned getting more out of due to his football IQ and instinct on the field. Since Metellus has realized that potential, working out a new deal could prove difficult given his positional versatility -- lining up as a slot corner, at free safety and even as a pass rusher. Advertisement A to Z Sports' Tyler Forness projected a three-year, $34 million deal worth roughly $13 million a year could be the rate that would make both sides happy. Related: Vikings Make Brutally Honest J.J. McCarthy Admission Amid QB Questions Related: Javon Hargrave Faces Pivotal Season Entering Vikings OTAs This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vikings' Josh Metellus receives warning at Timberwolves playoff game
Everyone has been to a sporting event where things may have gotten out of hand in one way or another. For some folks, it is at a professional sporting event, others it is at their kids' t-ball game. Hopefully, it is the first one, but everyone has their bad days, and we aren't here to judge. For one Minnesota Vikings player, he wanted to show support for another Minnesota sports team, the Timberwolves. Josh Metellus finds himself trusted into a starting role in the Vikings defense after the departure of Camryn Bynum this offseason, so all eyes will be on him on the field. While visiting the Target Center, however, all eyes were on him in a different way after he got a little too excited being seated courtside for the Timberwolves conference finals game against the Thunder. Metellus showed the world that he received a warning from officials at the game for being a little too energetic during the game in which the Timberwolves beat the Thunder by a wide margin. Metellus is just one of many Vikings players and coaches who have been visible at the games during their playoff run. Other faces include Justin Jefferson, J.J. McCarthy, and Kevin O'Connell. Advertisement Many more are sure to pop up, but so far, Metellus can stake a claim to the most memorable visit to a Timberwolves game this year by a Vikings player. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Josh Metellus receives warning at Timberwolves playoff game
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Minnesota Vikings mock draft scenarios show team's wide range of options
The Vikings' biggest moves in free agency, plus where the QB situation stands The Vikings' biggest moves in free agency, plus where the QB situation stands The Vikings' biggest moves in free agency, plus where the QB situation stands The 2025 NFL draft begins Thursday night, and dedicated football fans are researching with excitement about all the different possibilities for their team's picks through the form of mock drafts. Accordingly, WCCO has gone through several mock drafts and simulated different moves the Minnesota Vikings could make. As of Wednesday, Minnesota only has four picks in the draft (24, 97, 139 and 187). As some of the scenarios below demonstrate, this may change. Stay put and take the best available safety In our first mock draft, the Vikings take South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori at No. 24. This scenario seems unlikely as the team will, at the very least, consider trading out of pick No. 24 to build draft capital. At the same time, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah may be content with that spot, along with the other three picks. The position of safety needs to be addressed with Harrison Smith likely leaving after this upcoming season, and with the exception of Josh Metellus, no one has true league experience beyond the hitman. In recent mock drafts from CBS Sports' panel of experts, five of seven picked a safety at No. 24. CBS Sports' scouting profile describes Emmanwori as a "towering, physically imposing safety with a linebacker-like presence" with good run-stopping ability and ball skills. In his last season at South Carolina, he had four picks and took two of them to the house. — Nick Lentz Trade down and take a cornerback In our second mock draft, the Vikings take Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas at No. 32. The Vikings have multiple needs, but a cornerback could be the priority with their first pick. In this scenario, the top three corners are gone at 24, so Minnesota trades down to 32 with the Eagles while also getting pick 96 in return. Adofo-Mensah has used four picks on cornerbacks in his first three drafts, all of whom he selected in the top four rounds. Only Mehki Blackmon, recovering from a torn ACL, is still with the Vikings. Re-signing Byron Murphy Jr. was crucial. The team signed Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah to help replace Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin. However, no signing is foolproof — both have question marks, albeit potential. Okudah is on his fourth team in his sixth season. Rodgers only played 36% of defensive snaps for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles last season. Beyond Murphy, it's an unproven group. Adding a rookie corner in the draft doesn't make it proven, but it's clear the Vikings need more. CBS Sports says Thomas is a physical cornerback with great length. The Vikings could use those attributes, given that Murphy Jr., Rodgers and Blackmon are all under 6 feet tall. Another option here is safety. However, a group of Theo Jackson, Smith and Josh Metellus should be good to go for 2025. Safety feels like a bigger priority in 2026 — or whenever Smith decides to hang them up. — Johnny Kahner The beef scenario We did two mock drafts with specific goals in mind: add some beefy dudes on the offensive and defensive interior. On the offensive side, we had a few options when the Vikings were on the clock. Three of the top interior offensive lineman were still on the board: Alabama's Tyler Booker, North Dakota State University's Grey Zabel and Ohio State's Donovan Jackson. Some of Booker's weaknesses make him an inapt fit for Minnesota's offense, so it came down to Zabel or Jackson. They're around the same size — Zabel is a couple of inches taller — and both project as solid NFL starters. We gave the edge to Zabel because of his positional flexibility. While Jackson projects solely as a guard, Zabel has the potential to play center in the NFL. The Vikings could use an upgrade at left guard, but also need a long-term prospect at center — free-agent addition Ryan Kelly will be 34 when next season starts and has only played three full season in his nine-year career. Zabel could fill in on the left side for a year or two while he gets up to NFL speed, then slide to center as Kelly's successor. In the second scenario, Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon fell to the Vikings and was a no-brainer pick. The 6-foot-4, 313-pound force would be the heaviest interior defender on the Vikings' roster. He's solid against the run and the pass and gives the Vikings a succession plan on their aging defensive line. — Anthony Bettin The 2025 NFL draft starts at 7 p.m. Thursday. Note: The above video first aired on March 11, 2025.
