K.J. Osborn Joins Team in the NFC Playoff Picture
The Minnesota Vikings are close to clinching a postseason berth after a one-year absence from the tournament. All they need is another win or a loss from either the Rams or the Seahawks. With four more games to go, it would take a historic breakdown to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
K.J. Osborn Joins Team in the NFC Playoff Picture
Currently, the Vikings are slated to be a wild card team as the Lions are still one win ahead of the Vikings in addition to the tiebreaker.
Another organization in the wild card race is the Washington Commanders, the new employer of former Vikings wideout K.J. Osborn.
Adam Schefter tweeted on Wednesday: “With WR Noah Brown likely out for the season, the Commanders claimed WR K.J. Osborn off waivers from the New England Patriots, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.”
The organization welcomed him with a post on X: “We have claimed WR K.J. Osborn off waivers from New England.”
The New England Patriots waived the veteran receiver on Tuesday after he hadn’t played a role for them in the past few games, despite the lack of talented wideouts in Drake Maye’s offense.
Originally, the receiver was a Vikings draft pick in 2020. He joined the club in the fifth round in the same draft as Justin Jefferson and, therefore, was overshadowed by the rising star.
In his debut season, the Vikings didn’t use him on offense, but he returned kicks for the purple team. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be a natural returner, and the Vikings invested a fourth-rounder in the following draft to acquire specialist Kene Nwangwu.
Folks began to wonder whether a player without a role on offense who had just lost his return gig would even make the 53-man roster ahead of his second season with the Vikings. However, he turned heads in training camp and secured one of the valuable roster spots.
Not only that, he also earned the WR3 job behind star receivers Jefferson and Adam Thielen, finishing the season with 655 yards and seven touchdowns. In his four seasons with the Vikings, he caught 158 passes for 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He also had some memorable contests with the franchise, including a game-winner in overtime against the Carolina Panthers in the 2021 season. He also sparked the legendary comeback win over the Colts in 2022 with a bunch of massive catches and a career-best 157 yards.
In the 2024 offseason, Osborn agreed to a one-year contract with the Patriots, but they moved on from him rather quickly. He logged only 57 yards and one touchdown, catching seven passes in seven games.
His new team, the Commanders, adds a capable depth player following the likely absence of Noah Brown, who is the team’s third-leading receiver after veteran Terry McLaurin and tight end Zach Ertz. He will now compete with Olamide Zaccheaus, Dyami Brown, and Luke McCaffrey for targets from rookie sensation Jayden Daniels.
Osborn is 27 years old and is now playing for a team that the Vikings could, in theory, meet in the postseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt