Don't hold your breath too long lol!

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Minnesota Vikings might have their best WR trio since Randy Moss

Cris Carter and Jake Reed both topped 1,000 yards receiving for the Vikings in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997, becoming a formidable duo for some good Minnesota teams.

And then in what can only in retrospect be described as completely unfair, the Vikings used the No. 21 pick in the 1998 NFL draft on Randy Moss.

The Vikings suddenly had an uncoverable trio. Though Reed never again approached 1,000 yards, his presence was enormous. Moss was the most breathtaking player in Vikings history, and Carter could catch anything.

Bedrooms across Vikings territory were filled with “Three Deep” posters. Carter (2013) and Moss (2018) were eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It is quite obvious this was the best receiving trio in team history. Any other franchise might have a hard time ever matching it, and I’m not about to suggest the Vikings have done so.

But this is also true: The 2026 Vikings might have their best trio of receivers since that record-breaking (and ultimately heartbreaking) 1998 season.

Let’s examine that idea at the start of today’s 10 things to know:

What makes the current group so dangerous?

Any trio of Vikings receivers has a good starting point with Justin Jefferson. He has been in the conversation for the best receiver in the NFL for several years. He’s still part of that chatter even after struggling to make an on-field connection with J.J. McCarthy last season. Add in Jordan Addison, who was very good in 2023 and 2024, and newcomer Jauan Jennings, who has approached 1,000 yards in the past with the San Francisco 49ers, and it is a formidable group. All three are at least capable of being above-average starters, with Jefferson of course having a higher ceiling.

Who are the other contenders?

After the era of Moss, Carter and Reed, the options thinned out for a while. The trio of Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian in 2009 was quite good but also benefited from Brett Favre’s distribution. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs were a great duo, while Thielen, Jefferson and K.J. Osborn were a nice trio. So, too, were Jefferson, Addison and Jalen Nailor.

What Jennings brings to the table

Jennings is listed at 6-feet-3, 212 pounds and looks every bit of that. The Vikings haven’t had a receiver that big and physical in quite some time. He’s a very capable (and willing) run blocker who plays with an edge. He will also be motivated to have a big season while playing on a one-year contract. All three of Jennings, Addison and Jefferson, in fact, should be motivated this season, and their styles should be a good complement to one another. That’s what makes this potentially the best Vikings receiver trio in more than a quarter century. “It’s awesome,” Jennings said of the Vikings’ new “Big Three.” “I feel like Kevin Durant with the [Golden State] Warriors.”

Enough footballs to go around?

Aaron Jones is a threat to catch passes out of the backfield. Tight end T.J. Hockenson caught 95 passes in 2023 and is looking to have a bounce-back season. It might be tough for every Vikings pass catcher to hit individual goals if the team is going to thrive, particularly if Minnesota wants to run the ball more. That bears watching as the season progresses.

Who throws them the ball?

And we still need to find out for sure which QB is going to throw them all the ball. Given that the pass game struggled mightily in 2025 when McCarthy was the primary starter, it figures to be newcomer Kyler Murray. Murray called the options at his disposal an “embarrassment of riches,” and he’s not wrong.

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