Fan-Favorite Former Vikings WR Picks the Commanders
K.J. Osborn has chosen the Washington Commanders for a sequel season.
Fan-Favorite Former Vikings WR Picks the Commanders
The Commanders, fresh off a surprise trip to the NFC Championship in January, re-upped with Osborn this week after scooping the wideout from the open market late last season.
ESPN’s John Keim tweeted Thursday, “Washington has re-signed WR K.J. Osborn per Adam Schefter. The Commanders claimed him off waivers in December. He appeared in one game for them. He has 165 career receptions. Depth signing.”
Osborn now becomes a part of this 2025 WR group for the Commanders:
- Terry McLaurin
- Deebo Samuel
- Luke McCaffrey
- Noah Brown
- K.J. Osborn
- Chris Moore
- Mike Strachan
Washington might add another wide receiver to the unit before too long or perhaps explore the draft for a playmaker like the University of Texas’ Matthew Golden.
Osborn left the Vikings last offseason, joining the New England Patriots for nine months — an experiment that didn’t work out. New England cut ties with Osborn in December, and Washington pounced. They evidently enjoyed what they saw.
The 27-year-old started the 2024 campaign slow, and at the time, many wondered if Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett merely hadn’t developed chemistry with the veteran wideout. New England later benched Brissett for rookie passer Drake Maye, and not much changed for Osborn.
Osborn spent his whole rookie contract with the Vikings. He 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 March 2024, 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.
He banked 7 receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown in 2024.
All told, Osborn played 19 offensive snaps for the Commanders last season.
Former Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen signed with the Vikings on Wednesday.
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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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