Vikings Make their Next Move, Sign 6’4″ Pass Catcher
In re-signing tight end Johnny Mundt, the Vikings make the next move of their offseason. Minnesota’s official social media made the announcement.
At 6’4″ and 233 pounds, Mundt is a bit small for the position, but he has long been a favorite of Kevin O’Connell. The pass catcher will help to solidify the TE depth, giving T.J. Hockenson the time he needs to get back to full health. The veteran re-solidifies the position alongside Josh Oliver and Nick Muse.
Vikings Make Next Move by Bringing Johnny Mundt Back
For a little while, O’Connell has been outspoken in his praise for Mr. Mundt.
“I believe Johnny Mundt’s the best 3rd tight end in the National Football League,” O’Connell explained. “If there was a category for that, Johnny would certainly get that in my opinion.” The coach goes on to praise how “reliable” Mundt is while noting that he “doesn’t get enough credit for how well he runs.”
Go ahead and look at Exhibit A for the underrated athleticism:
Not everyone can make that catch, folks, and fans would be forgiven if they did a double take and thought they were seeing Hockenson making the catch.
“What Johnny gives us is just so much versatility,” O’Connell went on to explain.
In fact, the pair go back to Los Angeles. Mundt was with the Rams from 2017 until 2021, winning a Super Bowl with O’Connell as the offensive coordinator. And then the tight end agreed to head north to Minnesota, agreeing to a modest 2-year $2,415,000 deal.
His first season in Minnesota led to a dozen starts across seventeen games and 443 snaps on offense (93 on special teams). Bringing Josh Oliver in meant less chances to play with the offense in 2023. He didn’t get a single start last year and was down at 223 snaps with the offense, but he did increase his special teams role to 210 snaps.
Despite the QB turmoil and lesser playing time, Mundt turned 23 targets into 17 catches for a career-high 172 yards. He scored a touchdown and was responsible for picking up 8 first downs.
The seven-year veteran is 29, so he’s likely moving into the back nine of his career. Regardless, he’s still capable of playing some rock-solid football, so seeing him re-added isn’t a surprise.
Per Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune, the contract is going to be $2.5 million, meaning Minnesota’s budget is likely to dip down to somewhere around $35 million in cap space.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.