The Minnesota Vikings have exercised their fifth-year option on cornerback Trae Waynes, the team announced on Monday per Eric Smith of their official website.
Waynes, who will make $2.2 million this upcoming season, is set to earn a base salary of over $9 million in 2019 thanks to his option getting picked up.
The 25-year-old was the team’s 11th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 46 out of a possible 48 games in his career. He has 145 tackles (121 solo), 5.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 26 passes defended in his first three years in the league.
After struggling to break into the starting lineup in his first two years, Waynes started all 16 games for the Vikings as he played a significant part in their run to the NFC Championship Game. He recorded two interceptions, 65 total tackles one sack, and 11 passes defended last season.
Waynes and All-Pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes were instrumental in the Vikings having one of the best pass defenses in the entire league last season. They gave up just 192.4 passing yards per game, which ranked second in the NFL.
The Vikings added more cornerback depth behind Waynes, Rhodes, and Mackensie Alexander during the recently-concluded NFL draft. They took Mike Hughes out of UCF in the first round (No. 30 overall) and also added Holton Hill as an undrafted free agent. Minnesota now has three first-round corners in their rotation (Waynes, Rhodes, Hughes), while Alexander was a second-rounder.
But with Mike Zimmer’s penchant for slowly bringing cornerbacks along, Waynes will likely continue to take on a starring role in the Vikings secondary for the foreseeable future.
Follow Us
Subscribe