The Minnesota Vikings look to be one of the best teams in the NFC but they have one big problem on their hands: cornerback Xavier Rhodes. At one point just a couple of years ago Rhodes was considered one of the best cornerbacks in the league. His play has really fallen off especially this season and it's time for the Vikings to trade him away.
His stats overall this season still look decent, but in watching his film, it's clear that is something is wrong. In Week 8 against the Washington Redskins, it was clear Case Keenum's goal was to attack Rhodes on short passes. Rhodes didn't make the changes needed and struggled to cover Terry McLaurin.
The Vikings secondary right now has a lot of depth and this is the perfect time to try and find a partner that will take the former Pro-Bowler.
Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, and Mike Hughes don't get talked about as much as Rhodes but they are all really good defenders. Holton Hill who showed some flashes as a rookie is also eligible to return from suspension in week 9. Hill gives them assurance in case one of the other secondary members was to go down with an injury.
Not only has Rhodes performance gone done, but he is taking up a large portion of the Vikings cap space that they could use on other players.
The Vikings could release Rhodes after this season but they would be on the hook for $7.2 million in cap space. That might still be the better route than paying him the almost $35 million that they still owe but if the team could trade him and put that burden on someone else, that would be the best-case scenario.
This offseason both Waynes and Alexander are free agents that will need to get paid if the Vikings want to keep them and both should be in line for big paydays.
If the Vikings have to continue to pay Waynes after this season, it's going to be very hard to pay either of those guys going forward.
It's unclear what exactly the trade market looks like right now for Rhodes but it shouldn't really matter what the return is. If the Vikings can get a little something, maybe a solid third wide receiver and a late-round draft pick for Rhodes they should try to get a deal done. This is an addition by subtraction that the Vikings seriously need to consider before the trade deadline.
Follow Us
Subscribe