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The Minnesota Vikings have officially begun overhauling their defense, moving on from former franchise cornerstones in hopes of getting younger, cheaper, and more importantly, better.
In doing so, the Vikings freed up nearly $20 million in salary-cap space by terminating the contracts of two former Pro Bowl defenders in Xavier Rhodes and Linval Joseph. Rhodes was an All-Pro as recently as three seasons ago.
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Vikings Cut Xavier Rhodes
Xavier Rhodes was at one time in the conversation as the best cornerback in all of football. The former first-round selection out of Florida State has three Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro under his belt.
However, since inking a six-year $78 million-plus contract shortly after the aforementioned All-Pro season, his on-field play dropped off dramatically. The once shutdown corner had gone from a player who quarterbacks feared to one that they would purposely attack.
By releasing Rhodes, the Vikings freed up $8.1 million in cap space. Rhodes will be 30 years old by the start of the 2020 season, and will likely garner a similar contract on the open market to the one Josh Norman recently inked with the Buffalo Bills.
Rhodes did make the Pro Bowl in 2019, yet his career-low 46.4 Pro Football Focus grade shows how little that matters in this modern-day era of football.
Vikings Release Linval Joseph
Speaking of Pro Bowlers, the Vikings also released a two-timer in defensive tackle, Linval Joseph, on Friday. The move clears nearly $10.5M in cap space for Minnesota.
The 31-year old Joseph is likely to garner the most interest out of the two Vikings defenders to be released. Joseph is still one of the better interior run-stuffers in all of football and would be a welcomed addition on nearly any team.
Vikings GM Hints at Possibility of Re-Signing Rhodes & Joseph
Rhodes and Joseph’s time away from Minnesota may be short-lived. In a quote provided by Pro Football Talk, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman touched on the possibility of both defenders returning to the Vikings at a later time.
“Both Linval and Xavier have personified what it means to be a Minnesota Viking since joining our organization, providing incredible leadership on the field, in the locker room and within the community,” Spielman said. “We are all grateful for their hard work and all they’ve done to help build our culture here in Minnesota. This decision comes now to allow Linval and Xavier to enter free agency prior to the start of the new league year. We are sincerely appreciative of their contributions and commitment and will remain in communication as all parties navigate free agency moving forward.”
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