Kevin O’Connell loved Johnny Mundt. Presumably, the head coach still does, but the issue is that the veteran tight end travelled down to Jacksonville to become a Jaguar.
Venture back in time to the beginning of the O’Connell era in Minnesota. Who came with him? Mundt was among those to journey north, sliding in behind Irv Smith Jr. as the TE2 before then operating in the same role behind T.J. Hockenson. He has since functioned as a do-it-all TE3, someone who can get tasked with doing a bit of everything while also helping out on specials. Replacing him may prove more difficult than many realize.
Kevin O’Connell & The Vikings’ Need at TE3
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah referred to it as a “champagne problem.” After all, T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver are a tremenous top pair, so the situation can’t be too dire.
Nevertheless, the team’s top executive still acknowledged what has been obvious to see for a little while: Minnesota needs more bodies at tight end. Yes, Hockenson and Oliver is a great foundation to build on, but the house still needs some walls, windows, and a roof (so to speak). Bringing in youngsters in the draft and veterans following the draft should thus be an expectation.
Last season, Mundt played a reasonably large role even if it was easy to miss him within all of the fanfare surrounding players such as Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, and the several new defenders who were making a difference for Brian Flores’ group.
The veteran played in all seventeen games (across a trio of seasons as a Viking, Mundt played in all seventeen games every year). He picked up a trio of starts while putting in 434 snaps on offense (39%) and 133 snaps on special teams (30%).
The stats, as we’ve come to expect, were modest. The TE3 turned 27 targets into 19 catches for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 7.5 yards-per-catch average is quite humble but he deserves credit for snagging 8 first downs.
So, by no means a game-changer if we shrink things down to just the basic counting stats, but someone capable of catching, blocking, and being moved to different areas of the field. In hockey terms, Mundt was a bottom-six forward who could help out on the penalty kill, be strong on the forecheck, and put the occasional puck in the net. Every team needs players like that, folks.
Minnesota has done a considerable amount of work to revitalize Kevin O’Connell’s offense in the 2025 offseason. Most notably, there have been the additions up front, improving the center and right guard positions with Ryan Kelly alongside Will Fries. Toss in the trade for Jordan Mason — which is to say nothing of retaining Aaron Jones — alongside the deals for less-heralded players (Rondale Moore, Justin Skule, Tim Jones, etc.) and it’s easy to foresee a prosperous future for Minnesota’s offense.
One sneaky contender, perhaps, to fill some of the gap left behind by Mundt is C.J. Ham, a smart and hard working veteran who commands a ton of respect in Eagan. True, asking the fullback to burn it down the seam seems like a no-go, but tasking him with a touch more blocking or even different assignments on specials could be a possibility.
Johnny Mundt stands at 6’4″ and weighs 233 pounds. The veteran TE landed a two-year, $5,500,000 with the Jags, a good raise over his single-season, $2,000,000 deal with the Vikings in 2024.
Kevin O’Connell may get a tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft. Afterwards, help from undrafted free agency alongside a renewed interest in the league’s veterans seem like plausible avenues to get deeper at tight end.
At some point, someone needs to step up to fill Johnny Mundt’s shoes.
