Sports
Ex-Vikings WR Finds a New Home in Tennessee
This offseason, Vikings WR3 Jalen Nailor left for the Las Vegas Raiders, who gave him a nice paycheck. Minnesota is now in the same position it was in 2024 when K.J. Osborn departed in free agency after three seasons of WR3 duties. His journey away from the team hasn’t been successful at all; the Raiders hope for better results from their investment.
Osborn, meanwhile, is hoping he can revitalize his career in Tennessee, as he just signed a deal with the receiver-needy Titans.
The Titans announced on Wednesday, “The Titans have signed quarterback Hendon Hooker, who starred at the University of Tennessee. The team has also signed veteran running back Michael Carter, along with a pair of receivers – K.J. Osborn and Lance McCutcheon.”
It’s been a busy day for the Titans, who welcomed four new players to their 90-man offseason roster. Unlike McCutcheon (one career appearance), Osborn already has a solid NFL resume with 1,902 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.
Osborn was initially drafted in 2020 in a class that was headlined by Justin Jefferson. In Jefferson’s shadow, the fifth-rounder got extensive work on special teams in his rookie season, but his success as a returner was underwhelming. On offense, he didn’t get any looks and finished his rookie campaign with zero snaps.
Entering Year 2, it was a common expectation that he would fight for his job in training camp, where he surprisingly emerged as a third option in the passing game behind Jefferson and Adam Thielen. With 50 receptions, he set career highs in yards (655) and touchdowns (7) in his sophomore season.
Osborn kept his WR3 role through 2023, adding another 650 yards and 5 scores in 2022 and 540 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2023. The Vikings, ready to promote Nailor, didn’t re-sign Osborn when his rookie deal expired and he joined the New England Patriots.
After only seven games and 87 yards, the Patriots waived him and the Commanders added the veteran to their roster. Osborn appeared in only one game with Washington. Still, he earned another one-year contract for the 2025 season. Unfortunately, the Commanders decided to cut him after last year’s preseason. His next stop was Atlanta, which added Osborn to the practice squad during the season. He has not seen the field since 2024.
In Tennessee, Osborn hopes to recapture his 2021-2023 magic. The Titans will have last year’s top pick Cam Ward in his sophomore season after a promising, though uneven, rookie year. Their receiving group isn’t invincible and Osborn could crack that unit.
Nick Suss of the Nashville Tennessean wrote about the WR group, “The Titans’ wide receiver room is led by veteran Calvin Ridley, who is returning to the fold after a season-ending injury sustained in 2025 and a restructured contract to remain with the team for 2026. Second-year receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor also return, as does third-year player Bryce Oliver. The big addition to the room is Wan’Dale Robinson, who signed with the Titans in free agency after spending the first four years of his career with the New York Giants.”
Ridley and Robinson will serve as the team’s top receiving duo, barring any major investments in the draft.
Recently, Osborn was asked where he’d like to play next season and he pointed to the Vikings. On an appearance on the Caps Off podcast last week, Osborn told the show’s host, “You can’t help but look at Minnesota. With Kyler Murray going back. Jalen Nailor, I’m so happy for him. Speedy, congrats bro, my guy, he just got 3 years for $35 million from the Raiders. So that spot WR3 is back open. Just looking around. But home is where the heart is. So, we’ll see.”
The Vikings haven’t replaced Nailor, but sophomore Tai Felton could internally be viewed as the new guy to fill the role. Interim GM Rob Brzezinski could also add a free agent or a rookie in the draft.
Osborn’s next stop will not be Minnesota, but Tennessee. He’s 28 years old.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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