Trae Waynes might be on his way out of Minnesota

In need of creating more cap space this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings are reportedly looking into trading their talented young corner.

After selecting him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings had big hopes for cornerback Trae Waynes. Along with Xavier Rhodes, the Vikings were attempting to build one of the best corner duos in the league when they added Waynes to their roster.

That plan hasn’t exactly come to fruition, but Waynes has still developed into a solid defender for Minnesota. However, it appears that the Vikings are at least interested in listening to trade offers for Waynes this offseason.

According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora on Wednesday, Minnesota has been attempting to see what they can get on the trade market in exchange for the 26-year-old cornerback this year.

It may sound surprising to some, but the Vikings have actual valid reasons to look into sending Waynes elsewhere this offseason.

Minnesota only has around $7 million in salary cap space currently and trading their No. 2 corner would free up over $9 million more in spending money this year. The Vikings are going to need to find a way to clear more cap space and this is definitely not the worst way to do it.

Minnesota also has the resources on their roster to make up for Waynes’ absence. Mike Hughes and Holton Hill showed flashes in their rookie campaigns last year and they clearly impressed the Vikings enough to look into trading the second corner on their depth chart.

While it did seem like Waynes took a step in the right direction in 2018, it appears that it may not have been enough for the Vikings to think he’s actually worth the money he’s due for next season.