Right tackle Brian O’Neill signed a contract extension with the Vikings on Wednesday, four days before the team opens the regular season in Cincinnati. The deal is for five years and worth $92.5 million, according to ESPN. It isn’t known how much of that will be guaranteed, but it’s certainly an early birthday present for O’Neill, who will turn 26 a week from Wednesday.

Brian O'Neill's $49 million guaranteed of the $92.5 million contract puts him ahead of Taylor Moton ($43M) and Braden Smith ($42M). He has the 3rd highest guarantees of any right tackle in the league and his $18.5M APY makes him the 2nd highest paid RT.

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 8, 2021

O’Neill, a second-round pick by the Vikings in 2018, was entering the last year of his rookie contract. He has played in 46 games and made 42 starts in his first three seasons. He started all 16 games at right tackle last season after starting 11 as a rookie and 15 in 2019.

O’Neill’s blocking helped the Vikings offense rush for 4,416 rushing yards in that span, the third-most in the NFL.

This is the second contract extension the Vikings have reached with a veteran player in recent weeks. Safety Harrison Smith signed a four-year, $64 million extension late last month.

Afternoon Judd: Vikings continue to reward homegrown talent.

Sponsored by @mnlottery pic.twitter.com/4bGApSh8uE

— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) September 8, 2021