Should the Minnesota Vikings bring back Trae Waynes in 2019?

The Minnesota Vikings have until March to decide if they want to pay their starting cornerback $9 million next season or let him test the free agency waters this year.

Around this time four years ago, former Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes was in the middle of his preparations for the 2015 NFL Draft. A few months later, Waynes’ boyhood dreams were fulfilled when he was drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings.

It took a little while for the young corner to find his fit with the Vikings and in Mike Zimmer’s defense. During his rookie season, Waynes appeared in 15 games, but the majority of his time on the field was spent on Minnesota’s special teams.

In 2016, he was given more opportunities in the defense and ended up starting eight games. Eventually, Waynes moved into the Vikings’ No. 2 corner role in 2017 and he’s been there ever since.

During his time in Minnesota, the 26-year-old has developed into one of the top run-stuffing cornerbacks in the NFL. His 42 defensive stops over the last two seasons are more than any other Vikings cornerback in this time period.

Last April, Minnesota decided to exercise Waynes’ fifth-year contract option and it currently has him making more than $9 million in 2019. However, the Vikings can opt out of his deal before the start of the new league year on March 13 and not owe him a penny.

With only around $11 million in cap space right now, Minnesota could definitely use that extra $9 million to improve their roster this offseason. However, letting their starting cornerback go elsewhere may not be worth the risk even if they would save almost $10 million.

So what should the Vikings do? Should they pay Waynes his $9 million and keep him around for 2019 or should they opt out of his deal and use the money somewhere else?