Vikings reward long snapper Cullen Loeffler with contract extension

From Cullen Loeffler to Chris Kluwe to Ryan Longwell. That's been the Vikings' field goal trio for the past six seasons. And the franchise wants to keep that combination intact as long as possible. On Friday afternoon, the Vikings announced they had agreed to a contract extension with Loeffler, a deal designed to keep the long snapper in Minnesota through at least the 2014 season.

On the surface, it may not seem like huge news. But according to head coach Leslie Frazier, eliminating anxiety in the kicking game is a big deal. Loeffler has been with the Vikings since he was signed as an undrafted rookie in 2004. He hasn't missed a game since with Sunday's contest against Arizona marking his 117th consecutive game handling long-snapping duties. That's also good news for both Kluwe and Longwell.

"One of the things we wanted to be able to do was secure Ryan Longwell along with Chris," Frazier said. "And now getting Cullen taken care of, we feel very comfortable with our specialists. He's been with us now eight years. And this is just a great day for us. We secure one of the guys we think is very important to our special teams and our football team. Cullen is one of those guys where if you're not careful, you'll take him for granted because of the position he plays. But as soon as you don't have someone operating in the fashion that he does, you're searching. Fortunately for us, we have a guy who provides great security as a long snapper. And we're fortunate he wanted to stay with the Minnesota Vikings. This is a good day for us."

Loeffler, who was a star quarterback in high school and later converted to tight end at the University of Texas, eventually found his niche as a long snapper. He said Friday he was thrilled to have a new deal and thrilled to remain united with Longwell and Kluwe.