Vikings 2022 Trade Will Cost Less Than Expected

All-White-Everything for Vikings Fans on Christmas Eve
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports.

On the last day of August in 2022, the Minnesota Vikings landed former 1st-Rounder Jalen Reagor in a trade that solidified the team’s punt-returning plan.

Reagor underperformed during his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, and general manager Howie Roseman was ready to turn the page. The Vikings received a freakish athlete in Reagor with a high wide-receiving upside.

Vikings 2022 Trade Will Cost Less Than Expected

The initial price was a 2023 7th-Round pick and a conditional 4th-Rounder in 2024, which would’ve been a steal of a deal if Reagor blossomed in 2022. But he did not.

Vikings 2022 Trade
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

Reagor tabulated 8 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Of all 31 NFLers who returned 15+ punts in 2022, Reagor’s 6.2 yards per return ranked 31st in the league. The return on investment, at least in 2022, was a total meh.

Well, the price tag advertised last summer may not be that taunting. Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski revealed Friday, “The statistical benchmarks are now known. Per a source, the fifth-round pick will become a fourth-round pick if Reagor achieves any of the following benchmarks either in 2022 or 2023: 1) 40 receptions 2) 500 receiving yards 3) 5 touchdowns.”

For Some Reason, Vikings WR4 Guarantees Victory over DET.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports.

And a 5th-Rounder + a 7th-Rounder for a gamble on a would-be prolific wide receiver and punt returner is a nothingburger. If the Reagor experiment flames out this summer or during the 2023 regular season, nobody will care the Vikings donated those two picks.

A 4th-Rounder, on the other hand, would be a little more sinful. Prospects from the 4th Round “turn into something” with considerably more frequency than 5th-Rounders, so a flop on the Reagor trade might feel more cringeworthy.

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

It’s also worth noting the parameters defined by Kempski are per season. Reagor’s trade contingency is not a running total. Minnesota will only be on the hook for the 2024 4th-Rounder if Reagor records 40+ receptions, 500+ receiving yards, and 5+ touchdowns in 2023. He certainly didn’t do so in 2022.

Kempski somewhat sarcastically surmised, “The Eagles will hope Reagor is five times more productive for the Vikings in 2023.”

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell at U.S. Bank Stadium after Minnesota lost to the New York Giants in the Wildcard Round of the postseason, 31-24.

Theoretically, Reagor could make a run at the team’s WR2 job this summer, as Adam Thielen’s future in Minnesota is unclear. Thielen is scheduled for a behemoth $19.9 million cap hit in 2023, and the Vikings are currently working to lower that sum. If they do not and Thielen treks elsewhere, head coach Kevin O’Connell can audition K.J. Osborn, Jalen Nailor — or Reagor — for WR2 services. The Vikings could also sign a proven WR2 in free agency next month or draft a new guy in April.

Overall, though, the pain of a Reagor trade swing-and-miss is more minimal than once thought.

Reagor turned 24 seven weeks ago.


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.

Share: