Future of the Vikings, Part 3: Wide receivers and tight ends
A deep dive into the weapons, which seemed settled and now have questions
By Matthew Coller
For Part 3 of our Future of the Vikings series, we dive into the biggest storylines facing the Vikings receivers and tight ends…
Get Justin Jefferson the football
If you said before the 2025 season that Justin Jefferson was going to need 53 yards to reach 1,000 in the final game of the year, I would have told you that he must have gotten hurt. There is no world where anyone could have projected that the superstar receiver, who averaged 1,486 yards per 17 games over the first five seasons of his career, would have struggled so much to get the ball in his hands.
But JJ McCarthy’s issues with accuracy and timing combined with some uncharacteristic drops caused the two to struggle to get on the same page. Playing 2.5 games with UDFA rookie QB Max Brosmer did not help the cause either.
The only QB who succeeded with Jefferson was veteran Carson Wentz.
How big was the difference? His five games alongside the ex-Eagle completed 68% of passes, totaled 34 completions for 477 yards (9.5 yards per attempt), which projected over 17 games equates to 1,621 yards and 115 receptions for Jefferson.
When McCarthy targeted Jefferson, he completed 52.6% of throws on 76 attempts for 484 yards (6.4 YPA) and was picked off seven times with just two touchdowns, good for a 42.9 rating.
(If you are wondering, Jefferson finished the season with a 5.6% drop rate. His career mark is 5.3%).
Those numbers are eye-poppingly different from any other QB who has played with Jefferson. Via Pro-Football Reference, here’s the QB ratings of every QB when targeting him:
Kirk Cousins: 109.2
Sam Darnold: 107.4
Nick Mullens: 91.7
Carson Wentz: 81.8
JJ McCarthy: 42.9
To take it a step further, all throws directed toward Jefferson by any QB before 2025 averaged 10.2 yards per attempt with a 67% completion percentage, 40 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
There is one clear takeaway: This cannot happen again.
Jefferson has vowed to spend time with McCarthy during the offseason working on their timing. It certainly appeared to be a factor that they did not work together during training camp due to a hamstring issue. But McCarthy ranked No. 2 in the NFL in PFR’s “bad-throw percentage” with 21.3% of his passes being tracked as way off target. Improving his accuracy is the only route to finding Jefferson more often.
Naturally, Vikings fans have a fear of Jefferson demanding out of Minnesota. They saw Randy Moss exit amidst drama and Stefon Diggs heel turn. Jefferson has shown no signs of wanting to play anywhere else but he also doesn’t have forever to wait for the team to win a playoff game. He is yet to take home a single postseason victory in his career, which is mindboggling considering his personal success.
His contract sets up for the possibility of Jefferson having the power to make something happen if he wants. Yes, he is under contract through 2028 but his cap hit jumps up to $43 million in 2027 and then $47 million in 2028. While they can still lighten the blow by restructuring his deal, it would be favorable to sign an extension after 2026 that would lower the cap hit. That gives him some leverage if he were to get frustrated and look for greener pastures.
Jordan Addison’s off-field issues
For the third time in four offseasons, Addison was arrested. He was taken into custody this week in Tampa, Florida, on charges of trespassing. While everyone deserves their day in court and everyone should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in America, it’s hard to ignore the pattern. And the Vikings franchise gets another public black eye from its 2023 first-round pick, regardless of how the details of the case turn out.
Addison’s rap sheet, including an arrest for driving 140 mph and a citation for DUI, puts the team at a crossroads with his future.
He is a tremendously talented receiver who shined in his first two seasons with 133 catches and 19 touchdowns but this year his performance slipped. Addison caught 42 passes for 610 yards and had a 14.3% drop rate, twice his career average.
The Vikings could have begun contract negotiations with Addison this offseason on a long-term deal but that seems impossible to consider now. The price for No. 2 wide receivers has ballooned in recent years to the $25 million per year range. That type of investment in a player who has already been suspended once by the league, for one quarter by the team and could face another suspension in 2026 depending on the outcome of his current legal issue is beyond risky.
Even Addison’s fifth-year option has to be up in the air. OverTheCap.com projects that picking up the option for Addison would cost the Vikings $17 million in 2027.
Can they continue kicking the can down the road and hoping that things get turned around? Or should the Vikings consider trading Addison?
The return would certainly be harmed significantly by his recent issues but they would be saving future dollars, adding draft capital and alleviating the risk of him making lots of money and missing more games in the future.
Jalen Nailor’s free agency prospects
One thing that could give the Vikings an option to trade Addison is the emergence of Jalen Nailor.
It’s hard to explain to the fantasy football playing world how good Nailor was in 2025 when he only caught 29 passes. He made 9 of 12 contested catches (per PFF) had 23 first downs on his 29 receptions and played in a dynamic role both in the slot and outside receiver.
Nailor was open way more often than the numbers would suggest and he did all the dirty work like blocking in the run game and running clear-out routes to help Jefferson/Addison.
It is clear that the Vikings are extremely high on Nailor but I’ve also been told that other teams are impressed by his film and tools as well and think that there’s more meat on the bone. So what could it cost for the Vikings to keep him?
If we look at comparable receivers from last offseason’s signings, Tutu Atwell, Josh Palmer and Dyami Brown all came in at $10 million per year with between $10-$15 million guaranteed.
Nailor has to be looking for an opportunity to catch a lot more footballs, so the Vikings would have to be moving on from Addison in order to make a deal for the 2022 sixth-rounder to stick around.
Tai Felton and Myles Price’s outlooks
The Vikings selected Felton with the last pick in the third round and he spent the year developing on special teams.
A handful of missed tackles on punts lowered his PFF grade as a gunner but the overall results of the Vikings ranking as a top five unit in net yards per punt return told the story. The former Maryland standout displayed toughness, an ability to beat defenders and a commitment to being a contributor in any way possible.
Does that mean he’s ready for a big jump in role next year? That’s unclear. In training camp it was clear that he needed development. Felton is smart player but he’s inexperienced as a complete receiver. Mastering his route-running details will be important to proving that he belongs on the field in 2026. But we can say that WRs coach Keenan McCardell has an impressive track record of developing these types of players. Next year’s training camp will be massive for Felton.
Myles Price emerged as a UDFA kick/punt returner, displaying unique skills with the football in his hands. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips mentioned the possibility of Price eventually working his way into a playmaker type role as a receiver.
Historically it’s been tough for return specialists to become impact receivers but even if he became a Brandon Powell type receiver, that would add a different dynamic to the short passing game that the Vikings haven’t had before.
The only other inexperienced players with some intrigue around them are 2025 UDFA Dontae Fleming, who flashed some deep speed in camp/preseason and Jeshaun Jones, a grinder who has fought his way onto the practice squad over the last two years.
Is TJ Hockenson returning?
The Vikings’ trade for Hockenson in 2022 and subsequent contract extension looked brilliant through Week 16 of 2023. But following the ACL tear that he suffered against the Detroit Lions, his production hasn’t been the same.
In 2024, he played in 10 regular season games and picked up 41 receptions for 455 yards. That was down two receptions and almost 20 yards per game from 2023 but his yards per reception were up and first down percentage. Sam Darnold wasn’t able to build chemistry with him the same way that Kirk Cousins did but he was still an effective player.
This year, McCarthy could not seem to find him. In games that McCarthy started, Hockenson never caught more than four passes.
In five games with Carson Wentz, Hockenson caught 23 passes on 29 targets, which equates to a 78 reception pace over 17 games.
Another factor that limited Hockenson was the fact that Christian Darrisaw struggled with health. He was asked to chip more often than ever before, which limited some of his downfield routes and may have thrown off the typical timing of KOC plays.
There were certainly enough flashes of the 2023 version of Hockenson, including a fantastic grab on a seam route against the Dallas Cowboys.
No matter the explanations and peak moments, the production vs. dollars have to be factored heavily when it comes to whether the Vikings stay with Hock. He is set to carry a $21 million cap hit in 2026. Per OTC, they can restructure that deal and create about $9 million, around the same amount if he’s released.
It would seem to make much more sense to restructure his deal and hope for better circumstances in 2026 than to release him and have less talent at the position.
Josh Oliver has been very effective in his role as a top-notch blocking tight end but he doesn’t have the versatility of Hockenson as a TE/big slot receiver. Unless someone else is on the way like a first-round draft pick TE or free agent, it’s tough to figure out the direction of the room sans Hock.
Do the Vikings have development options at tight end?
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