Former Minnesota Vikings Starting Wide Receiver Hits Waivers

By Ted Schwerzler |

Updated: Dec 10, 2024

There has never been a question who the Minnesota Vikings top wide receiver was going to be in 2024. In fact, there wasn’t even a question as to who Justin Jefferson’s running mate would be. Behind Jordan Addison, though, things have been murky since K.J. Osborn left in free agency last offseason.

New England Patriots waive K.J. Osborn

After hitting the open market for the first time in his career, the Vikings’ 2020 5th round pick signed with the New England Patriots, on a 1-year, $4 million deal ($3.18M guaranteed). Now, just fourteen weeks into his Patriots tenure, Osborn is available to any team willing to pick up the rest of his 2024 contract.

Should he pass through waivers, the 27-year-old wide receiver will once again be a free agent, likely to sign for the league minimum with his new team. Could that new team be the Minnesota Vikings? They’d make sense, since he already knows the offense and they could use more talent in their wide receiver room, beyond Jefferson and Addison.

The #Patriots and WR KJ Osborn are mutually parting ways, as he heads to waivers with the opportunity to latch on with another team.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 10, 2024

Osborn’s struggles this year are proof that fit matters, especially as a wide receiver. Without Kirk Cousins (or Sam Darnold) to throw him the football, and KOC to scheme him open, the same guy who caught 108 passes for nearly 1,200 yards the past two seasons with the Vikings was relegated to the 2nd worst season of his NFL career, behind only his rookie campaign.

After starting 12-of-16 games for Minnesota last season, Osborn drew starts in just 4-of-7 contests for the Patriots. He was targeted only 18 times all of 2024. He leaves Boston having collected just seven receptions, 57 total receiving yards and 1 touchdown.

Former Minnesota Vikings starter struggled with new team, new QBs

Without a competent QB and play-caller, not to mention both Jefferson and Addison to demand the defense’s attention, KJ Osborn was a shell of himself. Jacoby Brissett isn’t a legitimate starter, no matter what the Patriots tried to sell their fans, in the offseason.

K.J. Osborn

Patriots career comes to an end

Guaranteed money – $3.2m

Off snaps – 232
Targets – 18
Rec – 7
Rec% – 38.9%
Yds – 57
TD – 1

so there’s that pic.twitter.com/KkAsP4MkG0
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) December 10, 2024

Sure, No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye has the talent, work ethic and personality necessary to be a really good NFL QB, but he and the New England offense are nowhere near that right now.

Across 50 total games (30 starts), over three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, the former Miami Hurricane racked up 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns, before departing for New England, where the money was better, but grass wasn’t greener.

If Osborn is going to resurrect his opportunities elsewhere, he’ll have to look much more like the veteran he was with Minnesota. A 38.9% catch percentage, like what he had in New England, won’t get the job done. KJ played just 53% of the offensive snaps, for the Patriots this season, a team that struggles to push the ball downfield.

KJ Osborn has to make this catch. You're a vet on a young team. Show the young guys how it's done pic.twitter.com/Z6UEJjOIV1
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 26, 2024