Are the Vikings Waiting on One Man to Be Released?
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason has hit the pause button, with the NFL draft 28 days away and free agency reaching a customary lull.
Are the Vikings Waiting on One Man to Be Released?
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has added Ryan Kelly (C), Will Fries (G), Jonathan Allen (DT), Javon Hargrave (DT), Jordan Mason (RB, trade), Isaiah Rodgers (CB), Jeff Okudah (CB), and Rondale Moore (WR) in free agency so far, in addition to re-upping with Aaron Jones (RB), Byron Murphy Jr. (CB), Theo Jackson (S), and Harrison Smith (S).
Minnesota still has cap space to burn, so are they waiting for Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander to hit the open market?
The Strange Amount of Cap Space
As of March 27th, the Vikings have about $21 million in cap space, a rather high number after the team elected a post-June 1st cap designation for Garrett Bradbury’s release a couple of weeks ago.
Of course, Adofo-Mensah could be saving the cash for summer roster flexibility, eyeing a splashy unforeseen trade, a backup quarterback, or preserving the dough for 2026. Still, Minnesota has not restructured any existing players’ contracts this offseason, maneuvers that would be relatively simple if the team desired.
Therefore, many fans have wondered, “What are they planning?”
Perhaps it’s Alexander.
Jaire Alexander as a Viking
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky wrote last month, “One way or another, it appears that two-time All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander and the Green Bay Packers are headed for a split.”
“General manager Brian Gutekunst was noncommittal about Alexander’s future when he spoke to reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, but sources confirmed Wednesday that the team is willing to listen to trade offers.”
Green Bay very likely won’t trade Alexander to Minnesota — the whole intradivisional trade no-no aspect — but if he’s released, Alexander will not affect the compensatory draft pick formula if signed by Minnesota.
One might argue that a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler in Alexander would represent a cake-topper or a chef’s kiss at cornerback for the Vikings’ offseason. There’s a decent possibility that Minnesota knows he’ll be released before too long, and perhaps the franchise will pounce.
To be clear, fans will have to move resentments to the side — Alexander has been Public Enemy No. 1 for years in Minneapolis.
The Current CB Room
Without Alexander, the Vikings showcase this CB batch at the moment:
CB1: Byron Murphy Jr.
CB2: Mekhi Blackmon
CB3: Isaiah Rodgers
CB4: Jeff Okudah
CB5: Dwight McGlothern
CB6: Tavierre Thomas
CB7: NaJee Thompson
CB8: Nahshon Wright
CB9: Ambry Thomas
CB10: Reddy Steward
CB11: Kahlef Hailassie
Rolling into Week 1 in September with this fivesome, though, wouldn’t sound half bad:
CB1: Jaire Alexander
CB2: Byron Murphy Jr.
CB3: Mekhi Blackmon
CB4: Isaiah Rodgers
CB5: Jeff Okudah
Who says no?
Jaire to MIN Floated by Packers Media
ACME Packing Company‘s Justi Mosqueda advanced the idea of Alexander to Minnesota or Detroit last month.
“But what if Alexander signs a cheap, prove-it deal with the Vikings or Lions, teams that went a combined 0-4 against the Packers last season? That would be a gut punch. The Vikings have a huge amount of cap space, but they also are set to lose the most snaps of any NFL team in the league this free-agency period,” he wrote.
“They also own just one pick in the first four rounds of the draft, so they’ll need to backfill their roster with free agents — either veterans or undrafted. Alexander makes sense there, as the Vikings’ number one corner, Byron Murphy Jr., is on pace to hit unrestricted free agency in a few weeks.”
Note: the Vikings now have a 3rd-Round selection — awarded for losing Kirk Cousins last offseason — and have since re-signed Murphy. Oh, and Detroit + Minnesota went 4-0 against Green Bay last year, not 0-4.
Minnesota has a rich history of onboarding former Packers personnel. Aaron Jones, Brett Favre, Ryan Longwell, and Za’Darius Smith can attest.
Mosqueda added, “Don’t discount the possibility of the Packers having to face Alexander twice a year if they let him walk.”
Alexander to Vikings is already out there in the court of public opinion. It could happen.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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