Former $90 Million Pro Bowler Floated as ‘Good Fit’ for Vikings in Free Agency

Injuries have hit the Minnesota Vikings hard during the offseason and early in training camp, specifically to their secondary.

The Vikings have added Duke Shelley and Bobby McCain – who will play safety first – in free agency to a group that lost rookie draft pick Khyree Jackson who died in a car crash, Mekhi Blackmon to a torn ACL, and free agent addition Shaquill Griffin nursing a hamstring injury.

Shelley and McCain may not be enough.

Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department suggests a reunion between Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Miami Dolphins free agent Xavien Howard.

“The unexpected death of rookie Khyree Jackson was tragic for many more reasons than how it impacted the Vikings’ roster. But Jackson did have a chance to earn a starting job in training camp, and the team could use some help at cornerback,” Bleacher Report wrote on July 31.

“Howard has experience playing for defensive coordinator Brian Flores, dating back to their days with the Miami Dolphins. So, the 31-year-old could be a good fit in Minnesota.”

Flores was the Dolphins’ head coach for three seasons from 2019 through 2021.

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Xavien Howard Defends Vikings DC Brian Flores Amid Free Agency

Howard earned two of his four Pro Bowl appearances and had his lone All-Pro campaign – when he led the NFL with 10 interceptions – during his time under Flores.

He defended his former head coach against a perceived negative reputation.

“He [Flores] get all the this and that in the media, though. But, bro, he was a player-coach guy,” Howard said on “The OGs” podcast in March. “He came from the Patriots, so it’s like he seen greatness from the G.O.A.T. [Tom Brady]. So it’s his standard how he holds guys around him. That’s our team, the Dolphins of that time. He held everybody to a standard.”

Dolphins owner fired Flores in 2022 after the latter posted the organization’s first back-to-back winning records in 20 years.

“This wasn’t about statistics. And in the end, it was about more than just performance,” Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad wrote in January 2022. “Ross did not like the vibe in those Dolphins’ offices. Ross did not like what he was hearing, what he was seeing and what he was sensing.”

Per Schad, Flores’ firing was not about the team’s record, but rather “about people.”

“Me and Flores probably wasn’t no buddy-buddy, this and that,” Howard said. “But I respect him how he came in there every day, he approached every day the same way. Don’t matter who you is, he going to chew your a** out you ain’t doing something right. And he ain’t going to dap you up if you’re doing something good. You supposed to do that; don’t worry about it.”

Flores filed a lawsuit against the Dolphins along with the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and the NFL in February 2022 for racially discriminatory hiring practices.

Rumors linked Flores to some openings during the 2024 head coach hiring cycle. He was not among the coaches to fill one of the eight vacancies. He downplayed the pending lawsuit’s role in his not securing a head coaching job when asked in April.

Flores has received rave reviews from Vikings players since his arrival.

Howard agreed Flores’ presence made the Vikings an option for him in free agency, noting “the defense did their thing” in 2023.

The Dolphins cut Howard from his five-year, $90 million contract to save $18 million against the salary cap. He has made $89.1 million in his career. But the Vikings would have to consider more than financials if they pursued Howard.

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Xavien Howard Facing Lawsuit

“Former Miami Dolphins star cornerback Xavien Howard sent a male teenager a sexually explicit photograph of the teen’s mother because she refused to get an abortion, a new court filing alleges,” ESPN’s New Service reported on June 7.

“The allegation was made Thursday [June 6, 2024] in a lawsuit filed last year by a woman who is not the teenager’s mother. The woman who filed the suit accuses Howard, 30, of secretly recording them having sex and sharing the recordings with others. She says Howard also shared, without consent, sex tapes she had agreed to make.”

The Vikings have dealt with several legal matters in the past 12 months, including Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips’ arrest for driving while intoxicated in December 2023.

Jordan Addison was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence on July 12.

The Vikings suspended Phillips for three weeks without pay in April, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Addison faces a multi-game penalty for what was his second legal matter in just over one calendar year. Minnesota police cited Addison for speeding and reckless driving in July 2023.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has avoided going for higher-priced solutions to address their depth at cornerback so far.

Adding one with as many question marks as Howard could be unappealing.

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