The Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason over the salary cap and staring at some difficult decisions when it comes to the roster, while the Philadelphia Eagles have a pressing need at cornerback.
Hoping to create salary-cap space, the Vikings did what some deemed unthinkable, releasing defensive tackle Linval Joseph and star cornerback Xavier Rhodes on Friday.
The moves clear $18.6 million from the Vikings’ and gives the Eagles another cornerback to consider in free agency.
Rhodes, 29, and a first-round pick in 2013 signed a five-year, $70.11 million extension ahead of the 2017 season with the Vikings.
After back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in 2016 and 2017, Rhodes was inconsistent and injured during the 2018 season and his play fell off drastically in 2019.
Xavier Rhodes to #Eagles now? Not so fast.
According to @PFF: 87 different CBs saw 50 targets into their coverage in 2019, and none of them allowed a higher completion rate than Rhodes. His 84.3% completion rate allowed was the worst of that bunch by over 4%. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/1kxoOv9DkP
— Michael Greger (@mike_greger) March 13, 2020
Last season, Rhodes was fourth-worst among cornerbacks in the NFL with a passer rating of 127.8 and 10 penalties on defense per Pro Football Focus.
Even with the down season, Rhodes was still selected for another Pro Bowl.
The Eagles are extremely thin at cornerback and could have interest in signing Rhodes to a one-year deal, but with Howie Roseman pushing for the Birds to get younger, the Eagles would be better served just focusing on Byron Jones in free agency, while adding a talented cornerback via the NFL draft process.
The idea is to get younger and the addition of Rhodes could look wonderful on paper, but if the move didn’t work, it would put the Eagles right back in the position of being a dynamic cornerback away from another deep playoff run.
Rhodes could ultimately become an option for the Eagles if they miss out on Byron Jones or find themselves looking for No. 2 cornerback after April’s NFL Draft.