K.J. Osborn Weighs In on Teammate’s Looming Departure
Minnesota Vikings WR3 K.J. Osborn has encountered a profound week. Sunday night in Austin, Texas, the 25-year-old helped save a man from a burning car. Yes, you read that right.
He’s received a hero’s treatment — rightfully so — and also weighed in on other prudent Vikings topics as the franchise has four days to clear space before the commencement of the NFL’s “legal tampering” phase of free agency.
K.J. Osborn Weighs In on Teammate’s Looming Departure
Minnesota must slide under the salary cap and has about $15.6 million to go before March 15th, the date players can formally sign on dotted lines with new teams.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks was released Monday, and players like Jordan Hicks, Dalvin Cook, or C.J. Ham could be next. Another cap-casualty candidate is a painful one for fans — Adam Thielen.
The 32-year-old Minnesota native has a scheduled $19.9 million cap hit in 2023, an amount that may be too meaty for the Vikings 2023 budget. Osborn said this week about Thielen’s possible exit from the franchise, “I know it’s a business, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I hugged him. I had a little bit of tears in my eyes.”
This offseason is indeed a first of its kind for Thielen. Since clawing his way up the depth chart from 2013 to 2016, the Minnesota State alumnus has been a fixture of Vikings football, leaving any talk of release or trade utter nonsense. But because age has the proverbial “undefeated” connotation, this offseason could actually be when Thielen tries on a new team for size.
Thielen collected 70 catches for 716 yards and 6 touchdowns last season, an average of 42.1 yards per game. The Vikings might seek a new WR2 to bump the per-game average to 55-60. Thielen still believes he can be “that guy,” yet at a $19.9 million cap number, the Vikings front office may have other plans.
If Thielen departs — a decision likely to be made by the end of the week — Osborn could personally experience more action in the Vikings offense. He has a reasonable chance at promotion from WR3 to WR2, especially if Minnesota makes no wide receiver moves during free agency. The Miami product grabbed 60 receptions for 650 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2022 and was targeted 17 fewer times than Thielen.
Osborn was also one of the major catalysts to the Vikings mighty comeback versus the Indianapolis Colts in December, slicing and dicing the Colts secondary for 157 receiving yards and a touchdown. Without Osborn, there would be no “greatest comeback in NFL history” for the Vikings.
Should Thielen hit open free agency, teams like the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, or Kansas City Chiefs could be interested in his services.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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