Receiver K.J. Osborn, who made many clutch catches in four Vikings seasons, is leaving for a one-year deal with the Patriots, a league source confirmed.
Osborn actually caught all of his 160 passes for 1,865 yards and 16 touchdowns in three Vikings seasons.
The 2020 fifth-round pick didn’t have a catch in his rookie season, when he was splitting duties returning punts and kickoffs. In 2021, he burst onto the scene with big games against the Bengals and Cardinals, including two grabs to set up a potential game-winning field goal in Arizona that missed.
Osborn, who turns 27 in June, made a major sophomore leap and became a reliable three-year contributor who made 31 starts in 60 games, including the January 2023 playoff loss to the Giants. He was often credited as an off-field leader in the locker room. He developed close bonds with receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. He also made headlines last year for pulling a man from a burning car upon witnessing the aftermath of an accident in Austin, Tex.
Osborn had a knack for saving the team, too: 10 of his 16 touchdown catches came in the fourth quarter or overtime, including game-winning scores against the Panthers in 2021 and Lions in 2022.
Last season, Osborn had 48 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns. But he also had a team-high seven drops, according to Pro Football Focus. After the season, he admitted the contract year was on his mind and may have affected his play. He said he would look back on his Vikings tenure with gratitude.
“I’ve worked my whole life to be able to do something really great for my family,” Osborn said in January, “and at the end of the day, I’m in the NFL. I’m blessed. I’m very grateful for this position I’m in, and I’m excited.”
Osborn reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $4 million. The Vikings appeared to signal they were moving on from Osborn last week, when the team agreed to a one-year, $1.79 million deal with free agent receiver Trent Sherfield, a 28-year-old journeyman with 78 career grabs.
Vikings hosting former Rams D-lineman
The Vikings announced they are hosting former Rams defensive lineman Jonah Williams on a free-agent visit at TCO Performance Center on Monday.
Williams, 28, made a career-high 16 starts last season for Los Angeles, where he had 49 tackles (four for losses), two sacks and a pass deflection. Williams (listed 6-foot-5, 275 pounds) played primarily as a 3-4 defensive end, which is an interior position where the Vikings currently have Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Jerry Tillery and Jaquelin Roy under contract.
In addition to being on a Rams team that included multiple offensive coaches now with the Vikings, Williams played under new Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon, who was the Rams assistant D-line coach in 2021.
Williams had a very brief run with the Vikings in November 2021, when the Vikings claimed him off waivers from the Rams. Minnesota waived Williams the next day because of a failed physical, and he returned to Los Angeles.