New Viking Could Have Bigger Role Than Most Think
Maybe the Minnesota Vikings don’t need another cornerback from free agency or the draft this offseason after all.
New Viking Could Have Bigger Role Than Most Think
The franchise could already have its man in newcomer Isaiah Rodgers, signed by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah three weeks ago.
Per comments at this week’s league meetings from Kevin O’Connell — with an assist from Brian Flores — Rodgers seems like he’s in the driver’s seat for a prominent role in 2025, more so than most might expect.
Brian Flores on Isaiah Rodgers
The Vikings re-signed Byron Murphy Jr. last month, solidifying the cornerback room in 2025. But the team also needed a running mate for Murphy Jr., especially after 2024 starters Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin did not return to Minnesota in free agency.
Thanks to Kevin O’Connell’s comments on Tuesday at the league’s meetings, folks learned that Rodgers isn’t some “maybe” commodity. The franchise views him as a tried-and-true asset.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted, “Also interesting: O’Connell said Brian Flores identified CB Isaiah Rodgers ‘pretty early’ as a UFA target. O’Connell: ‘When Flo has that kind of tone in his voice about guys … he’s been pretty darn accurate.’ O’Connell sees him as ‘an every down impact guy.'”
Every down impact guy is the takeaway phrase from the Seifert tweet because it implies a CB2 role for Rodgers.
And if that’s the case, pursuing extraneous free agents like Asante Samuel or Mike Hilton, for example, may not be necessary.
Isaiah Rodgers Bio
Here’s Rodgers’ Pro Football Focus track record to date:
2024: 73.2
2023: n/a
2022: 82.1
2021: 70.7
2020: 85.6
The former 6th-Rounder from the 2020 NFL Draft missed all of the 2023 campaign due to a gambling infringement. A season later, he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
This is Rodgers’ passer rating against since 2020:
2024: 82.1
2023: n/a
2022: 113.0
2021: 78.1
2020: 142.9
Rodgers has played 60 career games while starting 13. He’s never really been trusted with CB1 or CB2 duty, though that could change with the Vikings, especially if no more CB transactions are on the way and Flores’ comments hold up.
The new defender turned 27 this offseason. In Minnesota, he’ll hope for a breakout season — one actually predicted by Pro Football Focus last month.
PFF’s Take on Isaiah Rodgers
PFF recently appointed one “high upside” player for each NFL team’s free-agent haul, and for Minnesota, Rodgers got the nod.
Ben Cooper wrote, “The Vikings, the only team to earn an A+ in PFF’s free-agency grades, haven’t been shy about spending money amid their lack of draft capital. Rodgers’ two-year, $11 million deal was a modest expenditure among other high-priced additions, and yet, he is positioned to be one of Minnesota’s highest-impact signings.”
“His 85.4 passer rating allowed in 2024 was a top-40 mark among cornerbacks, and he was the position’s 12th-highest-graded player in run defense (83.4).”
The clues are compiling that Rodgers could be trusted with a starter’s snaps in 2025, thanks to Flores’ words and PFF’s endorsement.
Draft Implication
These are Minnesota’s corners entering April:
- 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
Draft pundits have linked these cornerbacks to the Vikings via the early-round draft process:
- Trey Amos (Ole Miss)
- Jahdae Barron (Texas)
- Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky)
- Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame)
- Shavon Revel Jr. (East Carolina)
- Azareye’h Thomas (Florida State)
If the Rodgers hype is real, though, Minnesota could bend in a different direction with its first draft pick. Rodgers as an ironclad starter might allow Adofo-Mensah to explore an interior defensive or offensive lineman early in the draft.
The NFL draft is 23 days away.
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 Vikings 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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