Getty Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings made fortifying their defense a top priority in free agency and could punctuate that plan by signing Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard.
In February, the Miami Dolphins released Howard with three years remaining on his five-year, $90 million contract extension to get under the 2024 salary cap, sending the 30-year-old All-Pro cornerback to free agency for the first time in his eight-year career.
CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell deemed the Vikings are an ideal landing spot for Howard, who said he is open to signing a more affordable deal and would reunite with defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“The Minnesota Vikings defense showed significant improvement under defensive coordinator Brian Flores in his first season at the controls. … However, they still struggled against the pass (234.5 passing yards per game, 24th in the league), and a lot of their success can be attributed to Flores’ schematic smoke and mirrors.” Podell wrote on March 22.
“Flores had Minnesota blitzing at a league-high rate of 50.7% in an attempt to combat their lack of pass rush (32.1% quarterback pressures rate, 27th in NFL) outside of Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter, who ranked top 10 in the NFL in pressures (80, 10th) and sacks (16.5, fifth),” Podell added. “Hunter is gone, replaced by Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. The Vikings could use some veteran savvy on the back end of their defense, and Flores coached Howard for three seasons as his head coach from 2019-2021. A reunion in the Twin Cities would make sense for both parties.”
Howard’s connection to Flores is understated. Flores coached Howard from 2019 to 2021 on his rise to his first All-Pro nod in 2020. Howard led the league with 10 interceptions and allowed just a 51.2% completion rate on targets his way that season — a year that rippled into three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.
According to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, the Vikings “poked around” at the potential of signing Kansas City Chiefs star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed — a sign the Vikings could still be in the market for a veteran cornerback like Howard.
Ex-Dolphins CB Xavien Howard Says He’s Open to Taking a Pay Cut
GettyDolphins CB Xavien Howard
During a March 19 appearance on “The OGs Podcast”, Howard entertained the idea of joining the Houston Texans and even said he would take a pay cut to join a contender.
“I would love to do that. Especially back at home, the crib,” Howard said. “I’d rather take a pay cut to go to a team that’s going to go further in the playoffs. I got my money and stuff like that. I’m to the point, like, ‘How much money do you really need?’ ”
The Vikings may seem far away from contention with their questions at quarterback, but the Texans were in the same predicament a year ago before drafting C.J. Stroud. The Vikings are on the verge of having plenty of cap flexibility to sign top free-agent talent to complement a quarterback on a rookie-scale contract.
If Howard likes what he sees in Minnesota after the draft, the Vikings could realistically make a case for contention that could attract the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.
Xavien Howard’s Fit With Vikings
GettyDefensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings.
Pro Football Focus grades suggest a significant drop in Howard’s performance last season, but that’s partly due to how teams played the Dolphins.
Rather than challenging Howard and Jalen Ramsey on the outside, teams took what was given underneath.
Howard saw the second-lowest yards per target (6.8) but in turn gave up the fewest yards per completion (10.7) since Pro Football Reference started tracking advanced statistics in 2018.
Howard’s single interception in 2023 showed teams did not want to challenge him, and he still posted an 81.3 passer rating allowed despite the lack of opportunities to break up plays.
While the splashy plays that defined his prime haven’t surfaced the past two seasons, Howard is arguably better in coverage on a snap-to-snap basis. He could be an eraser of top receivers the Vikings face and force offenses to cut the field in half.