EAGAN, Minn. — Brian O'Neill brings an intensity on the field.

But the Vikings right tackle was all smiles Wednesday when he spoke with Twin Cities media members.

Hard to beat the first day of training camp practices, right?

And a day removed from signing a four-year extension? Cherry on top.

"Not really used to the podium up here," O'Neill quipped, "but just want to start by saying how excited I am to stay in Minnesota — and express my gratitude to the Wilfs, Nolan [Teasley], Rob [Brzezinski], K.O. (Head Coach Kevin O'Connell), everybody here for believing in me."

All throughout his football journey, O'Neill has always focused less on disproving naysayers and more on living up to the expectations of those people in his corner. He's used confidence as motivation, rather than doubt.

"That's just kind of how I'm wired," he said. "I kind of take it from a more positive framework, and they put that belief in me, and I told them I'm going to do everything I can. I'm going to lay it on the line every day to prove them right.

"I'm really, really excited to keep this journey going, and I'm going to give it my all every single day to finally get over that hump and go where we really want to go," O'Neill emphasized.

He's loved being a part of the Vikings, who drafted him 62^nd overall in 2018, for the past eight-plus seasons. But O'Neill also hopes his best moments still lie ahead of him.

"We've won one playoff game in eight years, so I'm not going to sit here and be like … it's been fun, but we haven't done it," O'Neill said. "We did a little bit, but that's not that fun. That's not why you do it, right? I want to be the most proud when I'm done here that we went on a couple runs and gave ourselves a chance at the big one, and turned this thing around and got over that proverbial hump."

O'Neill's on-field production speaks for itself.

He's started 120 of 124 regular-season games, as well as three playoff contests. He's logged more than 7,500 snaps on offense and blocked for eight starting quarterbacks. O'Neill made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2024, earning his top single-season pass-blocking grade (79.7) from Pro Football Focus in the latter season. In 2025, he battled through an injury-shortened season and received a run-blocking score of 84.5, a career high.

Respect from teammates and coaches goes beyond the game-day stats, though, and encompasses the character and leadership O'Neill demonstrates away from the gridiron.

While Kyler Murray has been O'Neill's teammate less than six months, the Vikings team captain already has left nothing but a positive impression.

O'Neill was among the first to extend a warm welcome to Murray after the quarterback joined Minnesota in free agency.

"Obviously I'm very familiar with his game. Big fan of his," Murray said. "He was actually one of the first dudes that reached out to me when I signed here. I'm appreciative of him for doing that, [and] I'm glad he got the extension that he deserves. He's poured his heart and soul into this organization, this city … and he deserved it. I'm glad."

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy spoke highly of O'Neill's integrity, plus tipped his cap to the tackle's sense of humor and abilities on the golf course.

"I'm just so happy for him and [his wife] Bryn," McCarthy said. "I'm really excited to see what he's going to do this year."

It really is a family affair for O'Neill, who mentioned he and Bryn enjoyed sharing the big news with family members. Continuing to write his NFL story — especially while remaining in Purple — means a lot not only to him but to his entire family, which includes his parents, older brother and two sisters.

"I also have great in-laws; Bryn's family has been awesome to me, and they love it here. We love it here," O'Neill said. "One of the things my dad's always said is, the journey they've been able to go on because of [my career] has been really fun and gratifying for them. So, those were some pretty fun phone calls to make.

"Being able to call those people, the people we love, it was really cool," he continued. "I'm super, super grateful for everybody I mentioned. I'm missing some other people who have helped me and who are really close to me, but that kind of core — her family and my family — they mean the world to me."

And O'Neill means the world to the Vikings.

O'Connell spoke with media members Tuesday and called O'Neill "a pillar of this organization."

"Just to watch this process play out in the way Nolan and his staff and everybody handled it, to come to this outcome on the eve of training camp is a really, really good thing for our team," O'Connell said. "I know Brian is going to go out there and have the best year yet, with the type of offseason he's had and his excitement about what we're doing offensively and where we take it from here."

O'Neill doesn't take O'Connell's comments or his responsibility lightly.

It's flattering to be considered a foundational piece of the team — but he emphasized it "only means so much" if he doesn't live up to the compliment when rubber meets the road.

"[O'Connell] might be talking about that yesterday, but if I'm not doing the right things today or I'm screwing up in practice a bunch of times, it might be a little different, right? So, I've got to earn that," O'Neill said.

That's just what he intends to do — as, really, he has since day one.

"I never really said, 'I want to play for eight years, I want to do this, I want to do that.' I just kind of [said], 'If I do the right things today and I just do it over and over and over again, really good things are going to happen," O'Neill said. "I love it. I love everything that goes into this. I love the grind. I love the wins, the losses, the good times, the bad times. I love it all. So as long as I keep feeling like that, I'm going to go 'til they kick me out of here or the wheels fall off."

"[O'Connell] might be talking about that yesterday, but if I'm not doing the right things today or I'm screwing up in practice a bunch of times, it might be a little different, right? So, I've got to earn that," O'Neill said.

That's just what he intends to do — as, really, he has since day one.

"I never really said, 'I want to play for eight years, I want to do this, I want to do that.' I just kind of [said], 'If I do the right things today and I just do it over and over and over again, really good things are going to happen," O'Neill said. "I love it. I love everything that goes into this. I love the grind. I love the wins, the losses, the good times, the bad times. I love it all. So as long as I keep feeling like that, I'm going to go 'til they kick me out of here or the wheels fall off."

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