Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on the sideline during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports.
Once upon a time — two years ago — wide receiver Jalen Reagor was supposed to encounter a rebirth on the Minnesota Vikings’ roster.
It didn’t quite pan out, and the speedster wound up with the New England Patriots, afforded another chance at a career revival. But on Tuesday, his path took another turn as New England said goodbye, dropping the 25-year-old from its practice squad, at least for a while.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted Tuesday, two days before the start of Week 3: “The Patriots released WR Jalen Reagor from the practice squad.”
New England actually travels to the New York Jets for Thursday Night Football this week, and without the services of Reagor, will showcase this wide receiving corps:
Reagor will hit waivers and can sign anywhere in the league if he clears that process.
The Vikings waived Reagor on August 30th, 2023, and the ex-Philadelphia Eagle latched onto the Patriots practice squad the day after. He produced an impressive 2023 training camp and preseason for the Vikings, plopping him smack dab on the middle of Minnesota’s roster bubble. Most Vikings fans believed he did enough this summer to make the regular season roster, while some national voices speculated a possible waiver, which was ultimately correct.
The young playmaker never really took off as a Viking. In fact, the lasting memory of Reagor heading into the 2023 offseason was two blundered routes against the Indianapolis Colts that caused interceptions. All told, Reagor tabulated 8 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown last season. Of all 31 NFLers who returned 15+ punts in 2022, Reagor’s 6.2 yards per return ranked 31st in the league. His production flatly didn’t impress, and accordingly, he was theorized on the roster bubble heading into 2023 training camp, culminating in the late-summer exit.
In August 2022, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded a 2023 7th-Round draft pick and a 2024 conditional 5th-Rounder for Reagor to the Philadelphia Eagles last August, hoping to squeeze untapped potential from the playmaker. To hedge the bet on the deal’s pricetag, Adofo-Mensah conducted a trade during the 2023 NFL Draft that netted a 2024 5th-Rounder from the Kansas City Chiefs, making the original Reagor deal next to free when the ledger balances.
That trade didn’t net much, and wide receiver Jalen Nailor has since emerged as Minnesota’s WR3.
Reagor will turn 26 in January and should latch onto another practice squad before too long.
The Eagles drafted Reagor one pick ahead of Justin Jefferson in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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.