Saturday morning the Vikings completed their own trifecta, of sorts, by locking up veteran DT Linval Joseph to a monster four-year, $50 million extension with $31.5 million in guaranteed money.
In the last couple of weeks, Spielman and the Vikings have extended Everson Griffen and Xavier Rhodes to long-term deals as well.
NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport was among the first to report the deal was going to be finished. But it became official when the Vikings announced via Twitter he had put pen to paper by Saturday afternoon.
Big news for Big Goon!
We have signed Linval Joseph to a contract extension!https://t.co/TAUQcfBgJg pic.twitter.com/71pPIRc5Tv
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 5, 2017
Vikings fans first became familiar with Joseph in 2014. He inked a five-year, $31.25 million deal with Minnesota after spending his first handful of years with the New York Giants.
The Vikings still have two years remaining on Joseph’s original deal, but the big man has played so well and proved his value that the organization decided to reward him with an early extension.
Joseph is coming off of arguably his best season as a pro in 2016. When he wasn’t busy mauling offensive line double teams, he totaled 77 tackles and 4 sacks.
However, what makes Linval so great doesn’t often show up on the stat sheets. With his uncommon combination of size, speed, and power, he opens up space for Vikings linebackers to roam all while serving as one of the best run stuffers in the league.
The $31.5 million in guaranteed money puts Linval 15th among NFL defensive lineman in that category. Everson Griffen, $34 million guaranteed, checks in with the 12th most.
