Jets Trade Tight End Chris Herndon to Vikings

Chris Herndon's tumultuous tenure with the Jets has come to a close.

New York traded Herndon to the Vikings on Tuesday, saying goodbye to a former fourth-rounder and giving Minnesota a high-upside tight end for the 2021 season.

The Jets receive a fourth-round pick in return from Minnesota, sending a sixth-rounder along with Herndon to the Vikings.

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network first reported the deal and the draft compensation. The Jets officially announced the trade later Tuesday evening. 

Herndon, 25, was set to enter his fourth season with Gang Green. Battling injuries and underperformance along the way, including a propensity for dropped passes, the Miami product realistically had one final shot to prove he's worthy of playing time with New York.

Instead, he'll swap green and white for purple and gold, helping Minnesota fill the void left behind by Irv Smith Jr.

Herndon has shown flashes throughout his career with the Jets, making him a high-ceiling acquisition for the Vikings. In 2020, Herndon played in all 16 games, totaling 287 receiving yards on 31 catches. That's nothing compared to Herndon's solid rookie season in 2018, accumulating 502 receiving yards with 39 receptions and four touchdowns. 

In 2019, Herndon began the season serving a suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. After playing in one game, he sustained a season-ending injury, making his sophomore campaign a lost season. 

With his first year with the Jets in mind, however, Herndon never lived up to his expectations and failed to develop into a consistent contributor at the next level. It certainly didn't help that he was part of New York's putrid passing offense these last few years.

Now, New York has a big question to answer at the tight end position. 

Tyler Kroft remains on the roster, but Herndon was this team's likely starter entering training camp. The Jets also didn't include rookie Kenny Yeboah or veterans Dan Brown and Ryan Griffin on the team's initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, so more moves could be on the horizon.

This is the second notable trade between the Jets and Vikings this year. New York moved up in the first round of this year's NFL draft, selecting guard Alijah Vera-Tucker 14th overall in exchange for two third-round selections.

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