In 2025, former Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah entered the draft with a comically low number of picks. Due to various trades, he had only four picks remaining. His draft haul included first-rounder Donovan Jackson, and four other rookies, as well as short-term QB2 Sam Howell.
Unsurprisingly, the contributions of the rookie class were fairly limited in 2025. The size of the draft class was even further enhanced when the Vikings surprisingly waived linebacker Kobe King during his rookie campaign. About 13 months after the club selected the Penn State defender in the sixth round, the Vikings could re-hire him, as the New York Jets showed him the door.
Brian Costello, Jets beat writer, posted on social media, “The Jets are waiving kicker Lenny Krieg and waiving/injured LB Kobe King, per source.”
King, now 23, arrived in the Twin Cities with pick 201, a sixth-rounder. A classic downhill linebacker, King was viewed as another Ivan Pace, a productive college linebacker who could provide help on special teams and, down the road, as a playmaker near the line of scrimmage. Despite the lack of depth at the position, King was axed in October and the Jets claimed him off waivers.
With the Vikings, he appeared in five contests, seeing the field on 77 snaps on special teams and another three on defense. After his departure, the Jets relied on him 142 times on special teams, but head coach Aaron Glenn didn’t give him a shot on defense. He made a total of ten tackles in his first season at the pro level.
Adofo-Mensah vouched for the defender right after the draft. His initial praise created some buzz for obvious reasons.
“Kobe King, linebacker from Penn State: Really excited to add him. A lot of times in football, we make it harder than it is, but it’s a meat-and-potatoes game in some positions, and linebacker is one of them. You need somebody to tackle the person trying to advance the ball up the field against your team, whether that be special teams with the ball in his hands or defending the pass and he’s somebody that plays with range, tackles, is a really physical knockback-impact tackler.”
A year later, the defender is looking for a new job and the executive is back in San Francisco. The difference is the Adofo-Mensah decision is final, while King could, in theory, get another chance with the Vikings.
The Vikings made room for him on the initial 53-man roster last year and even gave him some playing time in the first five weeks of the season. During a long NFL year, a team can run out of roster spots and release end-of-roster players to sneak them onto the practice squad. In this case, the Jets’ waiver claim ruined that process, if it was, indeed, the intention.
Last year’s linebacker trio of Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and Ivan Pace is still around for 2026. In the draft, the Vikings also added Jake Golday. The Cincinnati linebacker offers some more versatility and might get some run on the edge, but he’ll take his first steps at inside linebacker. That already makes it a crowded room with four players pretty much confirmed to be on the 53-man roster.
Yet, special teams have been a focus for the Vikings last offseason and this year and that’s where King could come in and earn a spot. The franchise also employs linebackers Jacob Roberts and Josh Ross, as well as undrafted rookies Keli Lawson and Bangally Kamara, who likely have a similar plan.
The Vikings saw something in King, which is why he was drafted in 2025 and why he made the 53-man roster. If they want him back, they now have the chance to grab him.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
