Vikings Trade for Chris Herndon, a Tight End With Upside

Rick Spielman
Jun 11, 2019; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman during a press conference following practice at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Spielman – as I recently pointed out – isn’t shy about making big moves this time of year. Well, he strikes again. This time he is making a move for promising young tight end Chris Herndon. Here is Ian Rapoport with the news:

And the follow-up tweet:

As I pointed out in the aforementioned Spielman piece, our team has a habit of making moves when there is a late injury. Teddy goes down; we trade for Bradford. Hunter is injured; we trade for Ngakoue. Now, it’s Irv Smith Jr. who got injured late, so we’ve traded for Herndon. At this time, it doesn’t appear like we know what the compensation is.

The 25-year-old TE is 6’4, 253. In the 2020 season, he accumulated 31 catches, 287 yards, and 3 touchdowns. He had a modest 57.6 PFF score; in fairness, he did play for the Jets. He instantly becomes Minnesota’s TE1. Ideally, Smith will be able to come back at some point, but this move suggests that he’ll be out for a while.

More to come as more details emerge.

Update: Tom Pelissero has clarified what the Vikings traded away to get Herndon in a purple uniform:

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