Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings WR K.J. Osborn has sights set on intriguing post-NFL career

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 8/8/23

K.J. Osborn is just two seasons into his NFL career, but the former fifth-round pick already has a vocation in mind for when he leaves football behind.

Speaking recently with CBS Sports, Osborn disclosed that he’s working toward turning his passion for all things crime-related into his post-NFL dream of becoming an FBI agent—something he’s been serious about since 2020.

"I think it still is serious," Osborn said. "I don't know about [the] Secret Service anymore, because I don't know how secret I can be. I didn't really watch much TV growing up. I watched ESPN. But one show I did watch was 'The First 48.' That was kind of like [a] detective [show] … We'll see how long I play.”

The dangers of such a high-stakes job like working for the FBI don't seem to bother Osborn. After all, it was just five months ago that he and three bystanders helped pull a man from a burning car on the side of the road.

Right Place Right Time. pic.twitter.com/Jxcn0qBouC
— KJ Osborn (@KJ_Osborn) March 7, 2023

Osborn graduated in 2018 with a degree in sociology from the University of Buffalo. He’s now pursuing his master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Miami, the school that helped him up his draft stock and become the 176th overall pick in the 2020 draft.

The 26-year-old wideout stated he has one more test left to complete his criminal justice degree, and once that’s complete, he’ll contemplate what his future holds.

Osborn has caught 50 or more passes for 650 yards or more and five or more touchdowns in each of his two seasons with the Vikings.

With Justin Jefferson firmly entrenched as the team’s No. 1 target, if Osborn can fend off rookie first-round pick Jordan Addison, the No. 2 WR job could be his come the start of the season. However, where exactly he plays doesn’t seem to be weighing too much on his mind these days.

"I think my ability to be a chess piece [is my greatest attribute]," Osborn added. "I feel like I do a lot in the offense, whether it be inside, outside, in the pass game, in the run game. Finding voids in coverages. I think my IQ, my versatility [is key]."

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