The Minnesota Vikings are clearly in the market for a wide receiver, and a potential reunion with Adam Thielen is easily leading the buzz. But as roster cuts are leaked ahead of Tuesday's deadline, the list of possible options naturally grows, and almost any available name can be fashioned to make sense as an addition for the Purple.
As first reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will waive wide receiver Trey Palmer. Stroud further reported the Buccaneers could not find a trade partner, barring a shift in the hours left before 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, so they will simply waive the third-year man.
An odd-man out in a deep Tampa Bay receiving corps, Palmer has emerged as a name who could be of interest to the Vikings in recent days. Now, he will be available.
As a rookie in 2023, Palmer had 39 catches for 385 yards and three touchdowns while playing 65 percent of the offensive snaps for Tampa Bay. In parallel with having his total offensive snaps cut by more than half last year, he had just 12 catches for 172 yards.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Trey Palmer is a perfect solution for the Minnesota Vikings return problems
Since losing Rondale Moore to a season-ending knee injury in the preseason opener, the Vikings have been searching for a return man. Myles Price showed promise returning kickoffs and punts in the other preseason contests, but ideally, a more proven option could be used there.
Palmer returned 17 punts for 136 yards with Tampa Bay last year, with one kickoff return. He also registers solidly on the size (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) and speed (4.35 40-yard dash) spectrum, so he will be of interest to a lot of teams.
And there lies the problem for the Vikings. Barring a last-minute trade before the Buccaneers officially announce their roster cuts, Palmer will be subject to waivers.
With the current waiver order based on last season's win-loss records, the Vikings are in the 24th spot. That means, if they submit a claim on Palmer, 23 teams would have to have not submitted a claim for them to get him.
But purely on the news, when Palmer will be waived/made available, the Vikings now have an ideal option to fix their wide receiver/return man problem as they hone in on their best options.