Vikings S Josh Metellus gets warning for “excessive verbal abuse” at Wolves vs. OKC Thunder game
Josh Metellus has risen from a mere sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft to the Minnesota Vikings' defensive "joker," capable of playing both linebacker and safety, among other things. As he awaits his team's OTAs, he settled into Saturday's NBA Western Conference finals Game 3 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and OKC Thunder.
But if an Instagram story is any indication, it is that he received a blemish on what was otherwise a great experience. At some point, he was given a warning for "excessive verbal abuse" (it is not known what he exactly did to merit it).
He responded:
"Energy is a hell of a drug (two cry-laughing emojis)"
The Timberwolves won 143-101, led by Anthony Edwards' 30 points, as well as nine rebounds and six assists. Julius Randle had 24, while four more players also hit double digits, three of them off the bench.
Josh Metellus among most underappreciated players heading into 2025 season
The 2025 Vikings are expected to be an offensive powerhouse with J.J. McCarthy, who, barring yet another catastrophic injury, will finally start at QB and have weapons like Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson at his disposal.
The defense remains phenomenal, with interior linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave supplementing a monstrous linebacking core of double-digit sack machines Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard and run-stoppers Ivan Pace and Blake Cashman. Slightly farther back, Byron Murphy and Harrison Smith remain the cornerstones of the secondary.
And then there is Josh Metellus. Despite his versatility, he has often been overlooked when it comes to visibility. The NFL's Genaro Filice writes:
"The Vikings’ second-leading tackler in each of the past two seasons, Metellus is the chess piece Flores moves all over the board... Currently in the final year of his contract, Metellus feels like a prime extension candidate, given his Swiss Army Knife role in Flores’ attacking defense."
Speaking of that extension, Metellus was largely mum on the matter but did say that he would "love to be here my whole career."
PurplePTSD senior editor Kyle Joudry, however, sees a problem with it happening in next season's budget. The team is second-to-last in cap space at $53.7 million, while his cap hit is $0.