ESPN Says One Guy Won the Vikings’ Offseason
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason is basically in the books, with training camp about four weeks away and the preseason two weeks after that.
ESPN identified its surprise standout for each NFL team this offseason, and for the Vikings, one player rose above the rest. He’s earned a lot of momentum lately, in fact.
So, the national media powers that be had time to name “winners” from each team’s offseason, and according to ESPN, that man is cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.
The Vikings made Rodgers their first free-agent signing four months ago.
ESPN Says CB Isaiah Rodgers Won the Offseason
Minnesota added over 40 new players this offseason, so ESPN’s Kevin Seifert had several men to choose from in the exercise.
He settled on Rodgers and noted, “Rodgers demonstrated why the Vikings pegged him as a likely starter despite a relatively obscure career since the Colts selected him in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. Rodgers displayed playmaking ability, jumping an out route and intercepting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, while also showing speed as a kickoff returner.”
“It’s not clear whether the Vikings will use him as a returner, given the heavy workload he’s expected to face as a cornerback. But he has a big fan in defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who said he has been tracking Rodgers since he played at the University of Massachusetts.”
All things considered, Rodgers can be interpreted as an appropriate choice.
Vikings Offseason Winner Revealed by ESPN
Isaiah Rodgers, a cornerback, is evidently the Vikings’ offseason winner.
An Audition for Stardom
The upcoming season will be Rodgers’ one noteworthy chance to establish himself as a long-term starter. The Vikings are apparently bestowing a starting cornerback emblem on his chest, a first-of-its-kind development for the veteran defender, at least for a full season.
Rodgers’ reputation took a serious hit in 2023 when the NFL suspended him for gambling — even on his own team, at times — but his reclamation tour makes a second stop in the Twin Cities. Unless the Vikings sign Asante Samuel Jr. or Mike Hilton from free agency or swing a trade for Tariq Woolen, Greg Newsome II, or Trevon Diggs, Rodgers has an inside track to start in Minnesota.
Isaiah Rodgers’ Previous Production
Rodgers has played 60 games since the start of 2020, starting 13 — or 22%. He featured a commendable 82.1 passer rating against with the Eagles last year, seeing action on 328 defensive snaps, or 36%.
He’s never played more than 50% of the snaps in a season, and rookie Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell dethroned him for a starter’s job in 2024. Rodgers has the efficiency numbers and Pro Football Focus grades (76.0 in 2024) to blossom. Now, he just has to do it.
Other Offseason Winner Contenders
Some other Vikings offseason winners might include:
- Theo Jackson (S)
- J.J. McCarthy (QB)
- Bo Richter (OLB)
- Dallas Turner (OLB)
The Vikings tabbed Theo Jackson as Camryn Bynum’s replacement. He’s an offseason winner. Minnesota could’ve re-signed Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones in free agency or gotten in bed with Aaron Rodgers. They did not; McCarthy wins.
And for Turner and Richter, well, Patrick Jones II and Jihad Ward left the franchise with no outside replacement. By default, Turner and Richter are in line for more playing time.
Bears, Packers Offseason Winners from ESPN
The article covered one offseason winner from each NFL team. For the Chicago Bears, Courtney Cronin picked linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II and wrote, “Ben Johnson singled out Hyppolite as the player that Bears coaches saw the most improvement from this spring. With veteran T.J. Edwards sidelined with a soft tissue injury, Hyppolite got a lot of run with the starting defense at a position he doesn’t have much experience at (weakside linebacker) after playing middle linebacker throughout his career at Maryland.”
“While the search for Chicago’s No. 3 linebacker isn’t the sexiest of position battles, Hyppolite — a fourth-rounder with a 4.39 second 40 time — made early impressions on the coaching staff.”
And for the Green Bay Packers, center Jacob Monk got the nod.
“Almost all the Packers’ offseason practices were at jog-through speed, so it would be unwise to make any major assessments based on those sessions. Seeing who lined up where and with what units was about the only thing worth noting. In that regard, it was a good offseason for the second-year center. With Elgton Jenkins skipping the entire offseason program, Monk got the bulk of the work with the starters,” Rob Demovsky explained.
Minnesota travels to Chicago for a date with Hyppolite and the Bears in 69 days.
You must be logged in to post a comment.