With a 16-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers this past Sunday night, the New England Patriots will now head to the Divisional Round for a highly anticipated matchup with the Houston Texans, who took an easy 30-6 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
Ahead of the showdown, the Pats made a few roster moves on Tuesday, most of which involved making changes to the practice squad. And one such move was the addition of former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr., an eighth-year veteran who has now inked deals with seven different franchises during his NFL career.
The Patriots are the third team for former Vikings WR Trent Sherfield Sr. this season
Undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2018, Sherfield soon after signed as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals, with whom he spent three seasons, catching 28 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown.
After one season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, the Illinois native had the best year of his career in 2022, tallying 30 receptions for 417 yards and two touchdowns with the Miami Dolphins. He remained in the AFC East in 2023, making 11 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown with the Buffalo Bills.
Sherfield then signed a one-year, $1.179 million contract with the Vikings and suited up in all 17 regular-season games but caught just eight passes for 83 yards and a touchdown, adding another two receptions for eight yards on three targets in Minnesota's wild-card defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the Denver Broncos last March but was waived in mid-November after making just three catches for 21 yards in 10 games. He then returned to Arizona as a member of the practice squad and was ultimately elevated to the main roster twice down the stretch, but was only targeted once and failed to record a reception.
If the Patriots end up elevating Sherfield for Sunday's showdown with the Texans, it would likely be for his ability on special teams, as he's had plenty of experience in that role over the years, making 40 total tackles, eight of which came during his one-year run with the Vikings a season ago.
As a wide receiver during his eight-year career, Sherfield has tallied 89 receptions for 1,034 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season and another three for 15 yards in seven postseason appearances.