EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings post-draft revisitation to the free agency market resulted in Minnesota agreeing to terms with veteran receiver Jauan Jennings Thursday evening.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell participated in a media session following Friday's rookie minicamp practice and included his thoughts on adding Jennings to a receivers room that includes established Vikings headliners Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
The Vikings hosted Jennings for a "great" visit during the week that followed the 2026 NFL Draft.
"I got to spend time with him, and he's a player that I've always, from afar, had a lot of respect for," O'Connell said. "He obviously brings size to the room, brings a level of play style and physicality. The guy loves playing football, and also the catch radius and the 'competes' and the production that he's had. So to be able to sign a player after a pretty patient approach, allowing ourselves to have some opportunity in the draft if it came to us, but always with a real mindset on Jauan being a target, just want to highlight the job they did in getting that done. We'll be excited and expecting him hopefully to arrive on Sunday, and get to it on Monday, which will be big for us."
O'Connell said Jennings will provide a unique aspect to the receivers room and enable Minnesota to continue to move receivers around the formation to manipulate coverages and matchups.
"[As the third receiver] you've got to be able to be a slot receiver, you've got to be able to do some of those jobs on the early downs that we ask for that player," O'Connell said. "You've got to be able to line up on third down and you're one of the few players that might be single covered in man-to-man. You've got to be able to win, you got to be able to make contested catches, and you've got to be able to do something with it after the catches. Jauan does all those things.
"I think Vikings fans are going to fall in love with watching this guy play football, his passion and the physicality that he plays with," O'Connell added.