Matthew Coller: After signing new deal, Vikings star Darrisaw looks to find his voice

Vikings left tackle has always been quiet but his next step is to take charge more often.

Christian Darrisaw / Matthew Coller

EAGAN — Christian Darrisaw’s first game as a starter came against the Carolina Panthers in 2021. His opponent for the day was superstar pass rusher Brian Burns. In a wild overtime game, he totaled 53 pass blocking snaps and allowed just one pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins. After the game Cousins remarked that he didn’t even notice Darrisaw was in the huddle because he was so quiet the entire time.

The Vikings’ left tackle is so soft spoken that he has flown under the radar as one of the best players at his position in the NFL. Despite ranking No. 2 in 2022 and No. 6 in 2023 among all tackles by PFF, he didn’t get a Pro Bowl nod in either season.

With a four-year, $113 million contract in hand that made him the highest paid left tackle in the NFL, Darrisaw thinks it’s time to make himself heard a bit more in the huddle.

“Having that deal, guys are looking up to you and it’s special,” Darrisaw said.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell has noticed an uptick in the Darrisaw’s interactions with his teammates and wants that to continue. During the last two years of his emergence as a star player, the Vikings have undergone an overhaul to their roster that saw many of the older established players leave. Darrisaw represents the new wave of leadership that includes players like fellow tackle Brian O’Neill and receiver Justin Jefferson.

“What I've seen from him whether it's his interactions with a Dallas Turner in the spring of talking through pass rush with him or every once in a while, you'll see him take some of the young tackles with [Brian O’Neill] and then they'll be talking through technique and fundamentals, what works for them, but maybe what might be a tool for their toolbox as they grow and develop,” O’Connell said. “You’re seeing more of that mentorship role. He's a little more vocal in the O-line room. He's a little bit more vocal across our offensive unit.”

It’s not likely that Darrisaw will ever be the loudest rah-rah player in the huddle and you shouldn’t expect him to become a podcaster or Tik Tok star any time soon but his version of vocal leadership means taking opportunities to help other players improve.

“If I see something, correct it,” Darrisaw said. “Let the guys know right from wrong. When we’re out there on the field someone might take a bad step or something or mess up on a play, I can go up to that guy and be like, ‘yo, this is how you do it, brush it off, we have more opportunities to attack it.’ I feel like I wasn’t doing that at first coming up in the league as a young player. Now I feel like I can be more vocal in that way.”

Darrisaw did admit that it’s not something that will come as natural to him as others and that he will have to remind himself to make more noise.

“Usually I let my game do the talking and stay out of the way,” Darrisaw said.

However, his shortcoming is only in loudness, not in the actual connection he has been able to make with his teammates. Darrisaw said that the reason he wanted to sign a contract earlier than needed was because of the locker room environment.

“Since Day 1 walking through those doors, it was a different type of group,” he said. “The friendships in there, it all leads out to the field… I wouldn’t rather be in any other place.”

In particular Darrisaw’s relationship with right tackle Brian O’Neill has been at the center of his development.

“Coming here rookie year our lockers were put right next to each other,” Darrisaw said. “Every time we come off the practice field I’m talking to him, putting up the iPad before we can even shower. He’s helping me week to week breaking down pass rushers, he’s always been a tremendous help.”

“Nothing but proud, nothing but happy for him, certainly nobody more deserving than he is,” O’Neill said after practice. “From the day he got here he’s been a consummate professional. Elite, elite talent… the type of person this franchise wants to build around.”

The Vikings are looking to Darrisaw and O’Neill to play enormous roles in the offense’s success this year considering they have two new quarterbacks and a running game that needs to take another step. Darrisaw said he was relieved to not have any thoughts about his contract hovering over his head as he goes into Year 4.

“I can just play football now,” he said.