With the Vikings in need of a new No. 3 receiver following Jalen Nailor’s departure, could they look to the player who held that role for a few years before Nailor took it over?
K.J. Osborn was the Vikings’ WR3 from 2021-23, first under Mike Zimmer and then under Kevin O’Connell. Since leaving two offseasons ago when his rookie contract expired, he hasn’t been able to replicate his success in Minnesota elsewhere. He’s bounced around a bit, going from New England to Washington to Atlanta without playing a whole lot. Now a free agent again, Osborn implied he’d love to return to the Vikings in a recent podcast interview.
“You can’t help but look at Minnesota,” he said on the Caps Off Podcast. “With Kyler Murray going back. Jalen Nailor, I’m so happy for him. Speedy, congrats bro, my guy, he just got 3 (years) for $35 (million) from the Raiders. So that spot (WR3) is back open. Just looking around. But home is where the heart is. So we’ll see.”
Osborn turns 29 in June, so he should still have some gas left in the tank. He would come with plenty of knowledge of O’Connell’s offense and would be a seamless addition to the Vikings’ locker room. Then again, his lack of playing time elsewhere over the past two years means he wouldn’t be a particularly exciting acquisition from a fan perspective.