Josh Oliver just robbed the Vikings
The Vikings and TE Josh Oliver have agreed on a three-year deal worth $21 million. The full details of the deal were reported on by Mike Garafolo.
And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why the Vikings have made this deal. I mean good for Oliver, Im never one to get mad at a player making his money even if it makes no sense. But the more and more I try and rationalize this singing the more it doesn’t make sense.
Let’s start with the obvious fact that the Vikings just traded for T.J. Hockenson last year. They currently are paying around nine million for Hockesnon and are now paying close to that amount for a blocking tight end.
And the other part that confuses me is that very fact, that being the fact that Oliver is almost exclusively a blocking tight end. In his three years in the league, he has amassed 26 receptions for 230 yards and 2 Touchdowns.
Yes, you are reading that right, in three years he has put together a stat line that Travis Kelce could surpass in two games. Now, this isn’t to say that blocking tight ends has no place in the league. Blocking is an often overlooked aspect of football and having a tight end who can be a weapon while also being an effective blocker is a huge bonus.
But in a case like this for the Vikings, it just makes no sense. I mean this was a team who finished 13-4 only to get embarrassed by the Giants in the Wild Card round. And for some reason, the Vikings’ ownership felt that blocking from the tight end position was the biggest weakness.
Not the poor play of Kirk Cousins, or atrocious play from the secondary. No, it’s because Hockenson wasn’t blocking enough. Yeah right, this move really doesn’t make any sense to me but maybe there is something big I’m missing.
What does this mean for the Vikings?
I’m not as much surprised they brought him in, but more surprised with the money he was given. If you really wanted a tight end who could block I’m sure you could have found one for much cheaper. Or even convert someone on your roster to become a blocking-focused tight end.
The Vikings are in a weird spot right now. They have the talent to make a deep playoff run, but signing guys like Taylor will not get them closer to that goal. They still have gaping holes in their secondary and have to rely on Kirk Cousins in big games.
It’s overall a recipe that doesn’t spell out success for this Vikings team. But then again that seems to be something Minnesota fans are used to at this point. I really hope that this isn’t it for the Vikings in regard to signing players.
They still have a lot of holes to fill and are wasting time signing guys like Oliver while [layers they could actually use continue to get signed. Good for Josh Oliver though, if you have the ability to capitalize off stupid ownership then you very well should.
I don’t understand the thought process or how the Vikings think this move will help them. And while I want to believe there are people in that organization smarter than me, they haven’t really done much in years past to prove that. Hell, maybe they need to give Trey a call and let him take the reigns. Because I know for sure he would have never allowed this to happen.
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