Former Vikings Playmaker Joins … the Packers

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports.

Usually, former Green Bay Packers players join the Minnesota Vikings’ roster. Men like Aaron Jones, Za’Darius Smith, and Chandon Sullivan from recent Vikings history can attest.

Former Vikings Playmaker Joins … the Packers

But this time, it’s the other way around. Ex-Vikings wideout Malik Knowles has signed with the Packers, joining the cheese team’s practice squad.

Minnesota wide receiver M. Knowles (19) catches a touchdown pass over Cleveland Browns cornerback Tony Brown II (38) during the second half of an NFL preseason football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.© Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Wednesday, “Packers sign Malik Knowles to practice squad, release Brayden Narveson announce deal for Brandon McManus.”

Green Bay possesses a 4-2 record at the moment, situated in last place within the NFC North. Here’s the Packers’ WR room through October 16th:

  • Jayden Reed
  • Christian Watson
  • Romeo Doubs
  • Dontavion Wicks
  • Bo Melton
  • Malik Heath
  • Cornelius Johnson (PS)
  • Julian Hicks (PS)
  • Malik Knowles (PS)
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Vikings cut ties with Knowles at the end of the summer, a roster cut casualty who didn’t receive an invite to the practice squad. Now, he’s one call-up away from the Packers’ gameday roster.

After the 2023 NFL Draft, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah onboarded oodles of UDFAs, notably including LB Ivan Pace Jr. (Cincinnati) and EDGE rusher Andre Carter II (Army), and Knowles was a part of that class.

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports.

Knowles, 24, was a bold pick by some to make the Vikings 53-man roster at the end of August. He earned 1st-Team All-Big 12 honors at Kansas State in 2021, followed by 2nd-Team All-Big 12 in 2022. VikingsWire’s Tyler Forness published a regular season roster projection in July and included Knowles in the five-man WR corps.

VikingsTerritory’s Kyle Joudry predicted during the summer that one of the UDFA WRs could earn WR5 consideration, and he named Knowles specifically, “We see one of the relatively unknown depth receivers — I’ve got my eye on Malik Knowles — catapult himself into the conversation for WR5 responsibilities. Impressing a pair of coordinators (Sp/T & O) will be the key, so Knowles is certainly someone to monitor.”

Cleveland Browns cornerback Tony Brown II, center, reacts after Minnesota wide receiver M. KnowlesÕ catch was called a touchdown during the second half of an NFL preseason football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. © Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK.

The six-foot-two, 200-pounder tallied 1867 receiving yards on 127 catches for 18 total touchdowns in five seasons at Kansas State. He caught many of those passes from Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson, who the Vikings faced in 2022.

Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline described Knowles’ skillset leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft, “Tall, surehanded receiver who also impacts games as a kick returner. Uses his hands to separate from defenders, shields away opponents with his frame, and gets vertical then adjusts or contorts in midair to make the reception.”

The Packers employ two more former Vikings: tight end Ben Sims and linebacker Eric Wilson.

Knowles caught a touchdown for the Vikings during the 2024 preseason.


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 MIN 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.