Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. is out 4-5 months after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Related Players: Tyler Conklin, Chris Herndon

The Chris Herndon acquisition by Minnesota confirms the rumors of an extended absence for Smith. Sadly, this surgery and its recovery timeline likely mean Smith will miss the 2021 season.

The Vikings have solved their TE issue, as they are trading for promising Jets TE Chris Herndon.

Related players: Irv Smith, Tyler Kroft, Ryan Griffin

The Jets will get draft pick compensation, sources say. As the tweet says, Herndon steps right in following Smith’s knee injury. Smith's timetable is still up in the air and the Vikings needed to address the position. Herndon has been highly-touted, but never really lived up to the hype after a rookie season where he caught 39 balls for over 500 yards and four TDs in 2018. He was hurt for 2019 and last year caught 31 balls for 287 yards and three TDs and recently fell behind Kroft in the pecking order.

As for the Jets, this is not a shocking move. Kroft has been one of the bigger surprises of the spring. He has seen a lot of time with the starting unit and caught two TD passes from Zach Wilson against the Packers a couple of weeks ago. Griffin is the Jets TE2.

Kroft has been one of the bigger surprises of the spring. He has seen a lot of time with the starting unit and tight end is a position battle to watch in training camp. Kroft could beat out Chris Herndon for the job if Herndon does not shake out of the funk he was in last year.

Right now both Tyler Kroft and Chris Herndon are free in both best ball and redraft leagues. Neither is recommended for redraft but at their current ADPs (Kroft: 216.0, Herndon: 211.6), whoever emerges at the end of training camp is worth a dart throw.

If Chris Herndon stays healthy, the Jets will be set at tight end according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic. "It’s fun watching how Gase uses Herndon, too," wrote Hughes. "While he has traditional tight end abilities (he’s a very good blocker), the Jets line him up all over the field. While I don’t think Herndon will ever be in the same class as Zach Ertz or Travis Kelce, he creates so many matchup problems for defenses."

Hughes addressed the issues at wide receiver in the same article, which also bodes well for Herndon. QB Sam Darnold turned lemons into lemonade with Ryan Griffen in 2019, so the uber-talented Herndon should dwarf his numbers as long as he remains on the field. Herndon has the opportunity to be a top 10 tight end in 2020.

If Ryan Griffin is ready to roll for the upcoming season, that would be a big boost to the Jets offense. His presence would give the Jets two solid receiving threats with Chris Herndon as the top target.

Herndon has the most potential of the group and has shown great rapport with Sam Darnold through the early portions of training camp, the story said. But Herndon is coming off an injury and didn't see much time last season. Griffin is the veteran of the group and about to start his eighth season in the league. Griffin also seems to be the better blocker which could earn him more time on the field. Herndon is ranked 22nd on our list, so in the end Griffin likely takes away some fantasy points leaving Herndon as a low-end TE2 option.

Jets head coach Adam Gase was singing the praises of Chris Herndon after Sunday’s practice.

“He’s our starting tight end,” Gase flatly said.

Related players: Ryan Griffin

Herndon had 39 catches for 502 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 2018 and was a popular pickup, but missed essentially all of last season with various injuries, all but 18 snaps worth. Herndon is just 22nd on our TE list coming into this season. Griffin is also expected to be a factor for the Jets and could steal some snaps from Herndon.

Jets tight end Ryan Griffin celebrated his contract extension with another touchdown catch Sunday.

The Jets and Griffin agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $10.8 million on Saturday. He reached the end zone for a team-best fifth touchdown a day later in the Jets’ 34-3 win over the Raiders.

Related players: Chris Herndon

Griffin has been a huge factor for the Jets. The 29-year-old signed in July and was expected to hold the fort until Chris Herndon returned from his four-game suspension. Instead, injuries derailed Herndon and Griffin has been the Jets’ most consistent offensive player, the story said, especially as of late. For those looking for help at TE, this week may be the last chance to grab Griffin off the wire if he's still there.

New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon made his 2019 debut on Sunday against the New York Giants, but it will be the only game he will play in this season. On Tuesday, the team made the decision to place their tight end on injured reserve after he fractured a rib during the Jets' 34-27 win over the cross-town rival Giants in Week 10.

Related players: Ryan Griffin

This doesn't come as a surprise after yesterday's report that Herndon was going to miss significant time because of a rib injury. It's obviously a disappointing ending to his 2019 season. Griffin takes over at the position and has at least played well as of late.

Chris Herndon is out an extended amount of time with a fractured rib, per Adam Gase.

Related players: Ryan Griffin

So many high expectations for Herndon as a TE stash, and now he just seems like a wasted roster spot. Herndon had just one catch this year for seven yards, and with no real timetable, he can probably safely be dropped. Griffin takes back over at the position and heading into Week 10 had 10 catches for 116 yards the previous two weeks, and that included two touchdowns as well.