Infamous Ex-Vikings Speedster Heads to Miami
In 2022, the Minnesota Vikings made some foundational changes to their organization, swapping both the head coach and the general manager. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah quickly made his presence felt in the draft. That class has been discussed ad nauseam.
A few months later, Adofo-Mensah facilitated trades for prominent players, bringing in quarterback Nick Mullens and receiver Jalen Reagor. The former was a solid backup passer for the Vikings, but the latter flamed out quickly.
Reagor is now headed to the Miami Dolphins. ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted on Tuesday, “Another receiver signing: the Miami Dolphins signed WR Jalen Reagor.”
Reagor is, of course, most known for his draft selection ahead of Justin Jefferson in one of the few blunders of Eagles GM Howie Roseman’s career. He also spent an unremarkable 2022 season in the Twin Cities.
The former first-rounder has yet to find his place in the NFL. In fact, he hasn’t played in the league since the 2024 season. He certainly hopes to make the Dolphins’ roster, which is among the weakest in the NFL and has an even worse WR corps.
Dolphins writer Alain Poupart of Si.com commented, “Reagor, who one can assume got a contract at the veteran minimum salary to continue the Dolphins trend of the offseason, joins a wide receiver corps with a lot of options but very little in terms of proven commodities.”
Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill both left this offseason.
“With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle now gone, holdover Malik Washington has perhaps been the most impressive of the wide receivers so far this spring,” Poupart added. “The new-look wide receiver corps also features veteran free agent additions Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert, along with rookie draft picks Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. That’s not even mentioning former Carolina Panthers second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr., 2024 seventh-round pick Tahj Washington or 2025 rookie free agent Theo Wease Jr.”
It’s a crowded group, but it’s doable to climb the depth chart and make noise throughout OTAs and in training camp. For the Dolphins, it’s a rebuilding year under a new head coach and offensive coordinator.
More from Poupart: “The bottom line here is the Dolphins just keep adding numbers at the position in the hopes that at least a few of them can emerge as viable contributors for new quarterback Malik Willis and the offense. Reagor’s career clearly hasn’t gone according to plan so far, but this is a low-risk move for the Dolphins, the kind they’ve made all offseason, the kind they hope will produce some results at some point.”
The Dolphins are on Minnesota’s docket this year and Reagor could make a return to U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 4.
His career started in Philadelphia, where fans are known to be hostile. Reagor was on the receiving end of a lot of hostility over there, struggling to live up to the first-round bill. Jefferson, the guy they wanted, going on a record-breaking career, didn’t help him either. After only two seasons and roughly 700 yards and three touchdowns, he was shipped to the Vikings for a seventh-rounder and a fifth-rounder. In hindsight, a steal for the Eagles.
Despite appearing in all 17 games with the Vikings, he only tabulated eight receptions for 104 yards. He scored once on offense. In addition to his contributions on that side of the ball, he also fielded punts for the Vikings with limited success. Reagor’s average of 6.4 yards per punt return was pretty bad and he actually didn’t return one in his following stints.
Either way, the most memorable moments of his tenure in Minnesota were his struggles in the eventual comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts, when he ran poor routes on a couple of plays that led to interceptions, almost costing them the chance to erase the 33-point deficit.
The Vikings waived him after only one year with another year on his contract and the Patriots claimed him off waivers. He spent the 2024 campaign with the Chargers. In those two years, Reagor logged a total of 238 receiving yards, but he did cross the goalline on a kick return for the Patriots.
The former first-rounder is 27 years old and needs to make this chapter work.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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