Free Agent Plot Thickens for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings may or may not need another veteran cornerback.
Free-agent cornerback Rasul Douglas met with the Seahawks, and that may reverberate to the Vikings.
That determination is in the eye of the beholder, as Minnesota has Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Mekhi Blackmon, Jeff Okudah, and Dwight McGlothern, among others, on the current depth chart.
The club could explore free agency for an extra corner, possessing about $16 million in cap space as of mid-May. And it just so happens that cornerback Rasul Douglas, a free agent, met with the Seattle Seahawks this week, a situation that could have a backhanded effect on the Vikings.
CB Rasul Douglas Meets with Seahawks
NBC Sports‘ Myles Simmons wrote Tuesday, “The Seahawks are taking a look at a veteran cornerback. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Raasul Douglas is visiting with Seattle on Tuesday. Douglas, 29, had been with Buffalo since the club acquired him midway through the 2023 season. He started 15 games for the team last year, recording five passes defensed with one forced fumble. He also recorded five tackles for loss.”
The meeting arrived after the Seahawks met with former Vikings corner Shaquill Griffin last month, and national media highlighted Seattle’s alleged and renewed interest in Griffin last week.
Douglas Could Be off the Board for Vikings if So
Immediately, the takeaway from Seattle’s visit? Douglas could be off the board for the Vikings — if the franchise is interested in him at all.
A few veteran cornerbacks, including Douglas, Jack Jones, and Mike Hilton, live on the NFL’s open market, and if Minnesota wishes to add more depth, well, those players are readily available.
Douglas’ time on the marketplace may be dwindling. The Seahawks, in theory, could sign him at any minute.
What about Shaquill Griffin?
Assume momentarily that Seattle has no plans for Griffin, a player it drafted eight years ago. Well, Griffin could return to the Vikings, increasing the depth for defensive coordinator Brian Flores, not unlike last year when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed him in free agency.
Griffin ended up playing an integral role in the NFL’s second-ranked defense, following the tragic death of rookie Khyree Jackson and Mekhi Blackmon’s awful ACL tear.
The Seahawks opting against Griffin, instead onboarding Douglas, would keep Griffin on Minnesota’s free-agent radar.
The Tariq Woolen Angle
VikingsTerritory hasn’t been shy about predicting a Tariq Woolen trade. Woolen enters the final year of his contract in 2025, and down the stretch of the 2024 campaign, his relations with Seattle soured, culminating in a bench assignment for the start of one game, which Woolen bemoaned.
Seattle already employs Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and Josh Jobe. Why is it auditioning older veteran corners?
Our theory suggests the Seahawks will sign Douglas or Griffin and trade Woolen to Minnesota. Woolen is 6’4,” and Flores loves tall, physical cornerbacks. That’s Woolen.
CB Perspective from Seattle Media
Seattle Times‘ Bob Condotta provided context on the Seahawks’ cornerback situation on Tuesday.
He wrote, “As the Seahawks get closer to the beginning of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) later this month, their search for a veteran cornerback continues. They already brought in former Seahawk Shaquill Griffin for a visit, and on Tuesday hosted veteran free agent Rasul Douglas, who has started 80 games in eight NFL seasons and spent last season with Buffalo after he was acquired by the Bills in a midseason trade with Green Bay in 2023.”
“News of the visit, scheduled for Tuesday, was first reported by The NFL Network and confirmed to The Seattle Times by a league source. The Seahawks brought in Griffin the first week of April and he remains unsigned. While the news of Douglas’ visit indicates the team is exploring other options to add as veteran depth at cornerback, it’s thought the team could also still sign Griffin.”
It appears, somewhat vividly, that Seattle wants another cornerback.
Condotta added, “Seattle is looking to add a veteran for experienced depth behind starters Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen and third cornerback Josh Jobe. Griffin was a third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2017 and played through the 2020 season before moving on, spending last season with the Minnesota Vikings.”
“The visit by Douglas shows the Seahawks are continuing to explore other options. He reportedly visited the Dolphins earlier this month as they explore possible cornerback additions in case they trade veteran Jalen Ramsey. A report from The Miami Herald stated that the Dolphins ‘made an offer’ to Douglas ‘but the sides did not come to terms.'”
If Douglas’ name sounds familiar, it’s because he played for the Green Bay Packers from 2020 to 2023.
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