The Vikings’ Depth Receiver Who Should be a Priority to Retain
The top of the receiver room is pretty loaded in Minnesota. Justin Jefferson is the best receiver on the planet and Jordan Addison continues to prove that he’s an excellent WR2. If Jalen Nailor takes another step forward, then the top three options are locked and loaded.
One of the Vikings’ depth receivers, though, should be a priority to retain. Trent Sherfield Sr. doesn’t get a ton of attention in the Twin Cities given the star players he works alongside, but he can be a key part of the winning formula in Minnesota. Don’t be at all surprised to see the veteran brought back.
Trent Sherfield:
The Vikings’ Depth Receiver Who Needs a New Deal
Whoever occupies the WR4 spot needs to be able to help the team win without making a ton of plays with the ball.
Jefferson is always going to feast on targets. Rightfully so. And then there’s the presence of Addison and Nailor. Toss in T.J. Hockenson, a top-tier tight end, and the targets in the passing game get even more skimpy. Even more complicated is the presence of a running back like Aaron Jones, someone with silky mitts who can do a lot of damage as a pass catcher.
There’s only a single football, folks.
Sherfield stands out as someone who can do excellently within that WR4 job since he helps in ways beyond just making catches.
He stands at 6’1″ and weighs 206 pounds, offering some much-needed size to the receiver room. He uses his good build to help in the running game, proving to be a strong run-blocker throughout the 2024 season. In a sense, he’s almost a bit like Josh Oliver, a pass catcher who gets leaned on due to being so helpful as a blocker.
The receiver is coming off of a season where he turned 9 targets into 8 catches, 83 yards, and 1 touchdown. He picked up 4 1st downs. He piled up these stats while playing 179 snaps on offense, which works out to 16% of the total.
At his most productive, Sherfield had 51 targets go for 30 catches, 417 yards, and 2 scores. He did so with Miami in 2022.
Keep in mind, as well, that Sherfield emerged as a strong option on special teams, playing 221 snaps for Matt Daniels (49%). His size and speed proved to be a lot to handle for blockers when he lined up as a gunner. Could Sherfield partner with NaJee Thompson next year to give the Vikings a vicious pair of gunners on punt?
Consider a rep from Sherfield:
Now look at a rep from Thompson:
Last year, Trent Sherfield came over to Minnesota on a single-season deal that carried a cap hit of just $1,790,000. A similar number — a small raise bringing things to around $2 million? — could very well be enough to keep the veteran in town.
The receiver is 29. He has played in the playoffs for four straight seasons for four different teams.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
