josh oliver

Josh Oliver was born on March 21, 1997, in Templeton, California. He attended Paso Robles High School in Paso Robles, California, where he excelled in both football and basketball. In football, he played tight end, defensive end, and outside linebacker, earning first-team all-county accolades. During the 2014 season, Oliver achieved 453 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches, contributing to his high school’s advancement to the CIF Southern California Division III championship. He was also recognized as the 2014 CIF Southern Section Northern Division Defensive Player of the Year, accumulating 13 sacks and two interceptions during his senior year. Oliver continued his academic and athletic career at San Jose State, playing college football from 2015 to 2018. He was a Mountain West Conference All-Academic honoree for all four years of his college career.

At San Jose State, Oliver had 98 receptions for 1,067 yards and seven touchdowns. His freshman year was marked by significant blocking contributions, which helped running back Tyler Ervin set a program record for single-season rushing yards. Oliver’s collegiate receiving talents became evident with his first touchdown catch during the Spartans’ Cure Bowl victory. In the 2018 season, he received a John Mackey Award as the national tight end of the week for his performance against Hawai’i, where he recorded eight catches for 158 yards, setting a school record for receiving yards by a tight end in a single game. He was also selected as first-team All-Mountain West Conference and served as a team captain in 2018, with his 56 receptions ranking third among FBS-level tight ends. Following his college career, Oliver was invited to the Senior Bowl.

Oliver began his professional NFL career when he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round (69th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. While with the Jaguars, he experienced periods on injured reserve in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons due to injuries. In 2021, he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, where he played for two seasons. During the 2022 season, Oliver scored his first career touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson against the New England Patriots. He ended the 2022 season with 14 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the top run-blocking tight end in the NFL among tight ends with at least 200 blocking snaps. In March 2023, Oliver signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He continued to contribute to the team, and in June 2025, he signed a three-year, $23.25 million contract extension with the Vikings.