The Minnesota Vikings may not be done reshuffling their wide receiver room yet, and Jauan Jennings looks like the name to watch.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the trade market for Jennings is expected to “heat up” before the league’s trade deadline, which falls on 10 November. That comes after Minnesota brought in a bunch of wide receivers recently, a move that has prompted questions about why the team keeps adding at a spot that already seemed crowded.
Jennings’ start has been rough. Minnesota signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $13 million in May, but through his first four games he has been targeted only nine times and has just two catches for nine yards. He missed the game against Chicago because of a family issue, but even with that absence, the early production has fallen well short of what the Vikings were expecting.
The numbers have left him behind players such as Tai Felton, Myles Price, DeeJay Dallas, and Gavin Bartholomew in terms of output. And while those names aren’t drawing anything close to Jennings’ paycheck, the gap in production has only added to the sense that this pairing hasn’t worked out the way Minnesota hoped.
There’s also the financial side of a possible move. A tweet from Spotrac noted that a trade would leave the Vikings with a $5.4 million cap hit this season, while the team acquiring Jennings would take on a $4.4 million cap hit. That’s not a minor figure, even if it isn’t crippling, and it may affect how many teams are willing to make a real push.
Whether Minnesota can actually find the right trade partner is the big question. But with the deadline approaching and Jennings’ role looking shaky, the signs point toward a separation sooner rather than later.
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