Less than a year after the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, linebacker Kobe King is now a member of the New York Jets.
King was waived by the Vikings on Thursday to make room on their active roster for veteran running back Aaron Jones, who returned to the field in Week 8 after missing the team's previous four games with a hamstring injury.
Minnesota likely figured they would just sign King to its practice squad after he cleared waivers on Friday to keep him with the team, but the Jets clearly had other plans and put a claim in on him before he could return to the Twin Cities.
New York Jets claim LB Kobe King after Minnesota Vikings waive him
Before getting waived on Thursday, King had appeared in five games for the Vikings this season. The majority of his time on the field with Minnesota this year had been spent on special teams, which is why he was only able to accumulate a total of four tackles in his five appearances.
King's departure isn't a huge one, but since the Vikings only had five selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, only four members of their most recent draft class are still with the team after Friday's news.
Minnesota probably didn't have much planned for King other than to continue using him on special teams this season, but any hope they had of developing him into something greater in the future no longer exists after he was claimed by New York on Friday.
As an overall group, the Vikings' 2025 draft class hasn't made much of an impact on the team yet this season.
Donovan Jackson has been solid as Minnesota's starting right guard, wide receiver Tai Felton has spent most of the year on special teams, and defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has shown flashes in his limited snaps on the defensive side of the ball.
In addition to King, the Vikings also selected former Pittsburgh tight end Gavin Bartholomew in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Bartholomew has spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, and there's no guarantee that he will play at all this year.