NY Jets trade TE Chris Herndon to the Vikings for draft pick compensation

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Chris Herndon / Billie Weiss/Getty Images

The NY Jets have reportedly traded tight end Chris Herndon to the Minnesota Vikings, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The compensation of the deal is unknown at the time of writing, although Rapoport indicated that it was "draft pick compensation."

A fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Herndon put together a promising rookie season that saw him lead all rookie tight ends in catches and touchdowns. However, his career has taken a nose dive since then.

A suspension and multiple injuries kept him sidelined for virtually the entire 2019 season rendering his sophomore campaign useless. He returned in 2020 and looked like a shell of his former self.

Herndon struggled with drops was a relative afterthought for most of the year. There was some hope that he could return to his rookie season form under a new coaching staff in 2021.

But that optimism quickly faded away this spring.

The NY Jets finally cut ties with once-promising tight end Chris Herndon

Herndon entered OTAs as the de facto returning starter, but it didn't take long for him to start splitting reps with Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin. By the time minicamp and later training camp rolled around, Herndon was entrenched in the second-team offense.

He failed to do much to improve his stock this summer with a lackluster training camp and preseason. Herndon was just a guy — a far cry from the promise he showed three years ago.

With the Jets also cutting undrafted rookie Kenny Yeboah, it seems likely that the team looked to make an addition at the tight end position in the next 24 hours.

For now, the only tight ends remaining on the roster are Kroft, Griffin, and Daniel Brown. Keep an eye on Jacob Hollister and Tanner Hudson who should garner some interest on the waiver wire.

The Chris Herndon era in New York is over. The Jets have finally decided to move on.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.