Report: Minnesota Vikings Shopping Jarius Wright

With teams needing to get down to 53 players before the 3 PM Central deadline today, it appears that the Minnesota Vikings are shopping their longest-tenured wide receiver.

According to Ben Goessling of ESPN, the Vikings are shopping wide receiver Jarius Wright. Yes. . .Wright, who was drafted by the Vikings in 2012, has been with the Vikings longer than any other member of their receiving corps.

Wright was drafted by the Vikings in the fourth round (#118 overall) of the 2012 Draft out of the University of Arkansas. He was taken in the same round as his teammate, Greg Childs, who suffered a devastating injury in his first Training Camp and never made it back to the NFL ranks.

The Vikings signed Wright to a four-year, $14.8 million contract extension before the 2015 season. His best season as a Viking was his 2014 season, when he caught 42 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns, including one of the more memorable plays of the 2014 season.

This preseason, Wright has been hampered by an injury, and it appears that he’s been passed by both Adam Thielen and Charles Johnson on the depth chart. With Stefon Diggs at the top of the list, the team investing a first-round draft choice in Laquon Treadwell, and Cordarrelle Patterson doing. . .well, whatever the Vikings have him doing. . .there doesn’t appear to be a lot of room for Wright on the depth chart.

If the Vikings are going to trade Wright, they’ve got a little less than seven hours before the roster deadline this afternoon. We’ll have to see what develops on this front.

UPDATE: Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is now saying that the Vikings are not shopping Wright.