Lost in the Shuffle, Vikings See a Bruiser Stolen by Rival
Maybe Vikings fans will take some solace in the fact that veteran tight end Nick Vannett didn’t journey over to Wisconsin. Nor did he earn work in Illinois or Michigan. Rather, he’s playing for a California team, one that’s gearing up for the playoffs.
The Vikings seeing Mr. Vannett get scooped up by the LA Rams last week (team announcement) shouldn’t be a major surprise. Kevin O’Connell came out of LA, so the tight end will be shuffling over to an offense with some similarities. Plus, the Rams have previously demonstrated an affinity for tight ends with a Vikings history, as evidenced by the Nick Muse signing. Losing Vannett isn’t the end of the world, but he’s quietly a strong veteran.
Vikings See Nick Vannett Join the Rams
Journey back to a point in the season when hope still existed around the Twin Cities: the Week 9 game against the Lions.
Sophomore passer J.J. McCarthy was stepping back into the lineup. Mercifully, the injured Carson Wentz was allowed to step away from the field, allowing him to begin getting back to health. Mr. Vannett got bumped up to the active roster to play in that game, doing tremendously well within his job as a blocker. In fact, the folks on PFF handed him a 71.1 pass blocking grade, doing so against an impressive Lions front.
The ability to bump up the bruiser no longer exists since he’s now a Rams tight end.
The veteran stands at 6’5″ and weighs 266 pounds. Even among NFL tight ends, Vannett is a large lad. He also comes with plenty of experience, getting into the NFL back in the 2016 NFL Draft as the No. 94 selection (the end of the 3rd).
His career has involved playing in 116 games, starting 54. There have been 108 catches, 1,012 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Not a game-breaking talent as it relates to catching the ball, but someone good enough to keep getting opportunities.
Nick Vannett’s NFL rรฉsumรฉ is long. He has worked for the Seahawks, the Steelers, the Broncos, the Saints, the Giants, the Texans, the Chargers, the Titans, the Vikings, and now the Rams. Clearly, he offers teams some ability, allowing him to continue earning low-level deals to function as a depth tight end.
Right now, the Vikings are sitting on a pile of tight end talent.
The position boasts TE1 T.J. Hockenson, TE2 Josh Oliver, TE3 Ben Yurosek, and TE4 Ben Sims. The practice squad has Bryson Nesbit and there’s Gavin Bartholomew, who is working through an injury that has robbed him of his rookie season after getting snagged in the 6th.
The conversation recently has swirled around Hockenson’s status with the team. Does the well-paid tight end continue having a spot moving forward? His beefy contract was handed out at a time when he was allowed to be a reasonably explosive option who was still ascending. He’s now someone who largely gets used as a safety valve who seldom scores and who seldom shake loose from a tackle.
In others words, the Vikings seeing a future arrive where Mr. Oliver is the highest-paid tight end wouldn’t be super surprising. Best guess, though, is that Hockenson gets one more season in the Twin Cities.
Nick Vannett, 32, is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. He can still play ball, though. Wouldn’t be super surprising if he does good work for the Rams, helping LA to make some noise for the remainder of 2025 and into the playoffs.
Next up for the Vikings is a home game against the Commanders.
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