It’s Officially a Redshirt Year for a Vikings Rookie
When Gavin Bartholomew was drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the tight end was expected to be the TE3 for the Minnesota Vikings, ready to contribute immediately. As his rookie season is now in the rearview mirror, Bartholomew’s resume still shows zero NFL appearances.
Gavin Bartholomew Redshirts in 2025
The season is officially over, and Bartholomew’s snap count is still stuck at double zeroes. The depth chart initially suggested an opportunity, given TE3 Johnny Mundt had departed in free agency, joining the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Vikings didn’t add another body behind starters T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver.
No, Bartholomew was the obvious front-runner for that vacant job, as only undrafted rookies Ben Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit joined the TE room. When Bartholomew didn’t show up to training camp with a back injury, however, the calculation changed drastically.
He would go on to miss the entire season. In December, the Vikings opened his practice window. The rookie was placed on the PUP list in the summer and had to deal with his nagging back issue first before making his debut. When he logged several consecutive full practice sessions last month, the arrow was pointing up for him, but he was ultimately not activated from the list and also missed his final chance to step on an NFL field, even with Hockenson unavailable.
Throughout the season, five tight ends saw the field. Hockenson headlined the crew, playing 691 offensive snaps. Oliver was second with 400. Yurosek logged another 116, and mid-season addition Ben Sims logged 83. Nick Vannett, who had been on the practice squad until the Los Angeles Rams snagged him, appeared 31 times.
In the draft, the Vikings selected only five players, but they spent a sixth-rounder on the tight end out of Pittsburgh. Head coach Kevin O’Connell was pleased with Bartholomew and said in May: “Gavin, you know, it’s always a position that sometimes between the film evaluation, the Pro Day, seeing the tape of it, you just hope they show up and look the way you hope they look. And Gavin definitely did.”
In college, Bartholomew caught 105 passes for 1,257 yards and found paydirt 11 times.
As is the case for most young players at that position, the blocking aspect needed refinement, but a solid athletic profile and some decent numbers at Pitt made him an intriguing prospect.
In OTAs and training camp, Bartholomew will now be the hunter and has to unseat Yurosek and Sims for the third tight end spot. It’s noteworthy, though, that Hockenson is viewed as a potential cap casualty due to his inflated cap hit in the 2026 season. He’s scheduled to have cap hits of $21,355,000 in 2026 and $23,355,000 in 2027. Oliver signed a contract extension in 2025, and he won’t go anywhere anytime soon.
There could be some movement at the position.
The Vikings saw some potential when they added him in the draft. That draft pedigree won’t guarantee Bartholomew a roster spot in 2026, but it should guarantee him a spot in the competition for one.
He’s still just 22 years old.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.