Beloved Former Viking Has Quiet Start with New Team
It hasn’t quite caught on yet for the man.
Beloved Former Viking Has Quiet Start with New Team
That’s the word on K.J. Osborn and his new role with the New England Patriots. The man has 28 receiving yards through two games.
Instead, Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett — the placeholder veteran until Drake Maye takes over — has fiendishly targeted tight end Hunter Henry, who has gained attention on 15 passing plays. Osborn has 8 targets through two games, a small number for a team with one win and a loss out of the gate.
New England’s offense ranks 14th in the NFL per EPA/Play as of September 16th, as running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson have carried the enterprise for a combined 315 rushing yards in a win over the Denver Broncos before losing on Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks.
Osborn’s long-term trajectory in the Patriots’ offense is unclear. Brissett isn’t really targeting any wide receivers, preferring to throw the rock to tight ends and running backs. Perhaps when the aforementioned Maye takes over, which could occur sooner rather than later, Osborn can be fed.
Osborn spent his entire rookie contract with the Vikings. The University of Miami alumnus busted out into prominence [out of nowhere] during the summer of 2021 after an unbelievably quiet rookie year during the pandemic season. In fact, the Vikings didn’t use Osborn on offense at all as a rookie, but he emerged at training camp the following season.
And then the veteran playmaker stuck around until now, mostly used as a WR3. Moreover, Osborn’s arrival on the scene was of the utmost importance for Minnesota. For about four seasons, the Vikings “never really seemed to care” about WR3, nominating men like Bisi Johnson and Chad Beebe for the task. But when Osborn seized the job in 2021, the purple team finally employed an honest-to-goodness WR3.
Osborn totaled 48 receptions for 540 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2023. The year was pretty standard in Osborn’s world, though the touchdown numbers dipped.
With Jordan Addison’s immediate emergence to WR2, Osborn could grab more money on the open market than the Vikings were willing to deliver. Moreover, Osborn was not drafted by this front office and coaching staff, meaning he was not a priority to re-sign.
When it was all said and done in free agency, it became clear that the moment Minnesota drafted Addison, Osborn’s days were numbered in Minnesota.
Now, Osborn will hope for more attention in the Patriots’ scheme. New England travels to New Jersey for a date with the New York Jets in three days on Thursday Night Football.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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