A do-it-all Minnesota defensive back who has turned a Day 3 draft slot into a signature blitzing safety role.
Josh Metellus has become one of the more unique weapons in Minnesota's secondary, a safety who lines up all over Brian Flores' defense and blitzes as effectively as almost any defensive back in the league. Seven years after being a late-round pick out of Michigan, he's a signed-and-extended cornerstone of the Vikings defense.
Path to the league
Metellus played four seasons at Michigan, appearing in 47 games with 38 starts and earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors from the Associated Press in 2018. The Minnesota Vikings selected him in the sixth round, 205th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Metellus worked his way from a practice-squad elevation as a rookie into a full-time, versatile role in Minnesota's secondary, thriving as a blitzing safety under defensive coordinator Brian Flores. He signed a three-year, $36 million contract extension with the Vikings on the strength of that production.
2025 season recap
Metellus recorded 86 tackles, a career-high six passes defensed and two interceptions across 14 games in 2025. He logged 350 snaps at free safety and posted a 28.6 quarterback pressure rate on his blitzes, tying Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr. for one of the highest marks among defensive backs with at least 25 pass rushes.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Josh Metellus
- ESPN: Joshua Metellus
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
14 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | vikings | 14 | 86 | 42 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2024 | vikings | 17 | 103 | 63 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2023 | vikings | 17 | 116 | 78 | 2.5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 2022 | vikings | 17 | 42 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2021 | vikings | 16 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | vikings | 15 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Michigan
- Hometown
- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
