Less than a year after moving on from the Minnesota Vikings, wide receiver K.J. Osborn is looking for a new home in the NFL.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the New England Patriots waived Osborn on December 10. “It was a mutual decision, and now he will have a chance to catch on to a team where he will be able to play more,” Schefter added in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
That team could be the Vikings, currently 11-2 and loaded for a playoff run.
A 2020 fifth-round pick, Osborn racked up 158 receptions for 1,845 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns before signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the Patriots in March.
The Vikings’ decision to draft Jordan Addison in 2023 made it clear that re-signing Osborn, in the final year of his rookie deal, was not a top priority.
However, Minnesota could benefit from bringing him in as a depth option behind Justin Jefferson and Addison in time to get acclimated for the postseason.
K.J. Osborn’s Falling Out With the Patriots Included ‘Frustration’ at Trade Deadline
Entering the 2024 season, Osborn looked poise to make a case to be the top wide receiver in the Patriots locker room.
“I’m always just trying to elevate everyone else around me,” Osborn told reporters during his introductory news conference in March. “I want the best out of myself, so I expect my teammates to push me in that way and I’ll push them in that way, the same way. And then we all come together and that’s how you win games and build a good locker room and things like that. The Patriots are getting a first-class person and this is a first-class organization.”
Osborn started the first four games of the season but quickly fell out of favor in New England. Securing seven receptions for 57 yards this season, Osborn was a healthy scratch the past three games.
“Look, he’s been in this league for a long time, and he’s a professional,” head coach Jerod Mayo said of Osborn in a November news conference. “He understands the active/inactive part of it. I would say he just needs to continue to do what he’s doing, and that’s to go out there, practice hard and be a good teammate.”
In their first year with Drake Maye, the Patriots are tanking at 3-10 and have opted to play their younger receivers. It’s concerning that Osborn couldn’t make a bigger impact for a passing offense that ranks dead last in yardage despite ranking 17th in pass attempts.
However, that could be a business decision to avoid paying out incentives to Osborn.
NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry documented a news conference with Osborn two weeks before the trade deadline where the former Vikings wide receiver admitted he was “frustrated” with the Patriots’ decision.
Here’s the full thread:
Perry: KJ Osborn answered a bevy of ?s from reporters today. Do you want to be traded?
Osborn: This is where I am. This is the place that I signed to be. A lot of things are out of my control. But I like to be where my feet are. Today I’m here. Will just kind of rock with it as it goes.
Perry: How frustrating is it to be on a team focused on developing young guys?
Osborn: It’s extremely difficult. It’s frustrating. A lot of that stuff is not in my control…The organization is going to do what’s best for them. Or I would say for us.
Perry: Surprised when he was told he’d be inactive last week?
Osborn: Hell yeah. Hell yeah. It’s different. This year has been different for me… I feel like I’ve been a solid player in this league. It’s kind of something that we’re working through right now. We’ll see.
Ex-Vikings WR K.J. Osborn Could Push Jalen Nailor for WR3 Role
Entering his third season with the Vikings, Jalen Nailor was primed for a breakout season with Osborn’s departure.
Nailor shined early, reeling in seven catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns in the first three games of the season, but he’s since gone quiet with 11 catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the past 10 games.
The Vikings offense is brimming with talent that has left Nailor low in the pecking order. While Osborn may not usurp Jefferson, Addison, T.J. Hockenson or Aaron Jones for their target share, he does have more experience than Nailor.
In 2023, Osborn stepped up in place of Jefferson, who missed seven games with a hamstring injury. In the three games he played with Kirk Cousins as his quarterback as a top-two receiver, Osborn caught 17-of-21 targets for 194 yards.
Osborn would provide welcomed depth to the Vikings receiver room that would otherwise rely on Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield and Trishton Jackson if Nailor went down.
There’s also the potential Osborn could compete with Nailor for reps in three-wide receiver sets.
