Tag: Chandon Sullivan

Resetting Vikings’ depth chart at cornerback after 2022 NFL draft

Andrew Booth Jr. will play a big role immediately.

The Minnesota Vikings doubled down on their efforts to boost the defensive backfield by kicking off the last two days of the 2022 NFL draft with selections at cornerback.

Granted, the team made some noteworthy moves in free agency, including re-signing Patrick Peterson and agreeing to a deal with slot corner Chandon Sullivan. But those two moves alone were never going to be good enough to stop opposing quarterbacks from torching the backend of their defense.

The ability to formulate some sort of resistance in the secondary is the key to unlocking the entire defense for the Vikings in 2022. If defensive backs can consistently hold up in coverage, it’ll give more time for Ed Donatell’s pass-rushing hounds to unleash pain and misery on opposing offenses up front.

The injection of youth wasn’t just needed at safety, where the team now has Harrison Smith, Lewis Cine and Camryn Bynum surveying the backfield. It was much-needed at cornerback as well.

Vikings 2022 NFL draft preview: Where does Minnesota stand at CB?

The Vikings should be aggressive at cornerback

There’s no need in beating around the bush when it comes to this year’s 2022 NFL draft preview. We’re getting right to the main event, and for the Minnesota Vikings, it all starts with the cornerback position.

It’s no surprise that everyone from mock draft experts to couch analysts still have the team taking a corner with the No. 12 overall pick.

The secondary was burnt toast on a weekly basis last season, and yet, instead of throwing the toast away entirely, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has opted to just scrape off some of the charred crust and put it right back on the plate.

There’s still work to do in the draft, and fans are hopeful the first-year GM adds another playmaker to the defensive backfield sooner rather than later.

Chandon Sullivan hates when people judge him for going undrafted

Sullivan is growing tired of people using “the undrafted card” against him

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chandon Sullivan hates when people use “the undrafted card” when critiquing him as a player.

Even after building himself into the best slot corner for the Green Bay Packers, he still can’t escape the disappointment of watching 256 other names get called off the board, while his remained, at the 2018 NFL draft.

“I Hate When People Try To Use The Undrafted Card. I Can Play In This League. Been Proved That,” Sullivan posted on social media.

The sad part is Sullivan even having to vocalize it.

He shouldn’t have to considering all of the scouts and teams he proved wrong in transitioning to one of the better players in the league at his position.

In the 2021 season, he ranked 10th out of all slot cornerbacks in the league in yards per coverage snap, according to Pro Football Focus.

There’s a reason why the Packers were hoping they could convince him to re-sign to a new deal, before the Vikings swooped into the conversation and blew up those plans.

An argument could be made that the path Sullivan has taken makes him even more impressive. He had to find his own way onto a football team, and he was able to use that opportunity to create a sustainable career.

Not everybody is built to overcome that sort of adversity—being told no and still refusing to give up on their dreams. The fact that he’s undrafted should be treated as merely a footnote in history at this point.

[listicle id=62205]

SKOL Search: Mock draft roundup 7.0

Two new names pop up for the Vikings this week

Free agency is going into its third wave after the first two brought us a lot of splashes. With the Vikings, they replaced Michael Pierce with Harrison Phillips and filled holes at edge rusher with Za’Darius Smith, along with making moves at cornerback by acquiring Chandon Sullivan, as well as linebacker with the Jordan Hicks signing.

The Sullivan signing came after most of these mock drafts dropped. So corner isn’t as desperate of a need as it once was. With that being said, it is still a need, as are the rest of the positions that you will see in this breakdown.

The list of players selected are mostly the same cast of characters, but we do have two debuts this week.

Chandon Sullivan reacts to being called ‘traitor’ by Packers fans

Some Packers fans are not happy with Sullivan’s decision to jump ship to the Vikings

Minnesota Vikings newly-signed cornerback Chandon Sullivan isn’t a marquee name like Za’Darius Smith, but Green Bay Packers fans know how important he was in the slot for their defense.

So it isn’t surprising that some of those individuals are upset at the thought of him joining the rival Vikings in an effort to retake the NFC North.

However, some of the vitriol being spewed in Sullivan’s direction has reached the lows of dubbing him a “traitor” for going to Minnesota.

“Some fans say I’m a traitor but they’ve got to understand, we don’t pick ourselves, the GM [does],’’ Sullivan said in a phone interview with the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson. “[The comments] are kind of funny, but it comes with the territory.”

Sullivan signed a one-year deal with the Vikings on Friday, despite receiving interest from the Packers to return to Green Bay.

But the chance at a fresh start with a new coaching staff led him to the neighboring state. It should be noted that he did play under Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine, who served as the defensive coordinator for the Packers for most of his time with the team.

So while it’s a different atmosphere, there’s also a hint of familiarity for the former Packer.

“I’m excited,’’ Sullivan said. “It’s kind of weird being actually a Vikings player now when for the last three seasons they’ve been my rival, but that’s just how the league works.’’

Welcome to the NFL, where friends become rivals and rivals become friends. If anything, the additions of Sullivan and Smith should add a little spice to this historic rivalry.

[listicle id=61884]

Packers lose slot CB Chandon Sullivan to Vikings

Former Packers CB Chandon Sullivan is leaving Green Bay to sign with the Vikings.

Free agent cornerback Chandon Sullivan is leaving the Green Bay Packers to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Sullivan, 25, spent the last three seasons with the Packers. He played in 49 games and made 20 starts while tallying 102 tackles, five interceptions and 16 pass breakups.

Sullivan was on the field for over 1,900 defensive snaps for the Packers since 2019. He was a full-time starter at slot corner over the last two seasons, playing roughly 1,600 snaps.

The Packers are moving forward with Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes and Rasul Douglas at cornerback, although it’s unclear who will take over for Sullivan in the slot. It’s possible all three cornerbacks will get a chance to move inside and cover the slot depending on the situation and matchup.

Last season, Sullivan intercepted a career-high three passes but also gave up four touchdown passes. His overall grade at Pro Football Focus has dropped each of the last two seasons, and he received poor grades in coverage and against the run in 2021.

It’s possible Sullivan could be the full-time starter in the slot for the Vikings. He’s re-joining defensive assistants Mike Pettine and Mike Smith, who are both on Ed Donatell’s staff in Minnesota.

Sullivan is the seventh notable player to leave Green Bay this offseason and the second (Za’Darius Smith) to join the Vikings. Cornerback Kevin King remains unsigned.

[listicle id=79005]

Vikings, former Packers CB Chandon Sullivan agree to deal

The Packers lose another one to the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are snatching another defensive player from the division rival Green Bay Packers with cornerback Chandon Sullivan agreeing to a deal.

Katz Brothers Sports reported the news on Friday, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The Vikings have a clear need at cornerback, and a veteran player like Sullivan, who has starting experience, provides plenty of it on the football field. He spent the last three seasons working in the slot for the Packers, and now, he’ll try to help boost the Vikings’ slumping defense in 2022.

This move comes not long after Minnesota signed two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker and former Packer, Za’Darius Smith, to a three-year, $42 million deal.

[listicle id=61716]

Vikings meeting with former Packers CB Chandon Sullivan

Another former Green Bay Packer in town for a visit

A couple days after signing outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, another former Green Bay Packer is reportedly in town visiting with the Minnesota Vikings. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, cornerback Chandon Sullivan, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia State, is heading to Minnesota for a chat with the team.

The Vikings clearly need depth in their defensive backfield with both Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander testing free agency.

Sullivan would project to be a veteran option with starting experience in the NFL. He also has history with Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine, who served as the defensive coordinator for the Packers while he was there.

So signing with the Vikings would be a reunion of sorts with a former coach in Pettine and a former teammate in Smith.

Sullivan has started in 21 total NFL games in his four years in the league. In 2021, he started in 10 games for the Packers and racked up three interceptions, four pass deflections and 31 tackles.

For a unit that gave up the fifth-most passing yards on average per game, the Vikings could certainly use the help on the backend of their defense.

[listicle id=61758]

Packers free agent CB Chandon Sullivan to visit Vikings

Chandon Sullivan, who started 20 games as a slot corner for the Packers over the last two seasons, will go to Minnesota to visit the Vikings.

Another member of the Green Bay Packers defense could be landing in Minnesota with former assistant coaches Mike Pettine and Mike Smith.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, free agent cornerback Chandon Sullivan – the Packers’ starting slot cornerback the last two seasons – will visit the Vikings.

The Packers re-signed Rasul Douglas and have Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes returning at cornerback, lessening the need to bring back Sullivan, who started 20 games and was on the field for almost 1,600 total defensive snaps in Green Bay over the last two seasons.

The Packers signed Sullivan as a street free agent in 2019. He went on to become a valuable backup cornerback that season before taking on a bigger role in the slot each of the last two seasons.

Pettine, now an assistant coach for the Vikings, used Sullivan in the secondary during both the 2019 and 2020 seasons, so there’s plenty of familiarity between player and coach.

Sullivan produced four interceptions (including a career-high three in 2021) and 10 pass breakups as a starter over the last two years. He’s allowed six passing touchdowns and a completion percentage of roughly 66.0 against his coverage since 2019.

With Douglas re-signed and Alexander returning from injury, the Packers were always likely to have a new starter in the slot in 2022. Sullivan leaving would guarantee the change.

If signed, Sullivan could be the second Packers free agent to join the Vikings. Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith signed with the Vikings earlier this week.

[listicle id=79005]

Packers restructure Chandon Sullivan’s contract, create almost $1M in cap space

The Packers created almost $1 million in cap space by restructuring the contract of CB Chandon Sullivan.

The Green Bay Packers created almost $1 million in salary cap space for the 2021 regular season by restructuring the contract of cornerback Chandon Sullivan.

According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Packers converted a little over $1.2 million of Sullivan’s base salary into a signing bonus and added four void years to his one-year deal, creating roughly $970,000 in cap space.

Sullivan, now in his third season with the Packers, is expected to play a lot of snaps in the slot in 2021.

This salary cap trick – converting salary into bonus and adding void years – has been used by the Packers and many other NFL teams to create cap space over the last few months.

The Packers will pay the proration of Sullivan’s signing bonus on the 2022 cap when the contract expires following the 2021 season.

Sullivan signed a one-year restricted tender to return to Green Bay. The deal was worth $2,133,000 in base salary and had a cap hit of $2,133,000. His new cap hit in 2021 will be around $1.16 million.

[listicle id=61682]

[listicle id=61677]