Why the Vikings should trade Rhodes:
It’s not hard to look at footage from the Vikings’ 2018 season and come to the conclusion that Xavier Rhodes did not perform anywhere close to what he did out on the field in 2016 and 2017.
When targeted last year, Rhodes allowed his coverage to end up with a catch 65.2 percent of the time. That is the highest single-season catch percentage he has ever allowed in his entire NFL career.
Opposing passers also had an 88.4 quarterback rating when throwing in Rhodes’ direction last year. The only other season that saw opposing signal-callers have more success than last season when targeting the Minnesota corner was in 2015 when they finished with a 101.8 quarterback rating on throws his way.
Of the cornerbacks in the NFL that had at least 300 snaps in pass coverage last year, Pro Football Focus ranked Rhodes as the league’s 102nd-best corner. After ranking among the NFL’s 45-best cornerbacks in 2016 and 2017, he didn’t even make the top 100 last season.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer recently commented on Rhodes’ lack of success in 2018 and he attributed it to the corner getting a little sloppy with some of his techniques. Whether this was due to nagging injuries or a bit of overconfidence, this is not a level the Minnesota corner can continue to play at.
Based on how much the Vikings are paying Rhodes in 2019 (scheduled to have a cap hit of over $13 million), the team cannot afford for him to continue to regress next season. If Minnesota is concerned about him not being able to rebound in 2019, they may look into trading him this year.
The Vikings are reportedly looking for a second-round draft pick in exchange for Rhodes this offseason. If Minnesota can find a team willing to fulfill their request, it may be something that the team should seriously consider. Especially since trading Rhodes this year would also free up more than $6 million in cap space for the Vikings.
With a number of talented corners also on their roster in addition to Rhodes, Minnesota is one of the few teams in the NFL right now that could actually trade their top cornerback and still have an above average pass defense in 2019.
Zimmer’s history of coaching up young defensive backs is also an advantage the Vikings have over other current teams around the league and some it’s something that could also make it easier for Minnesota to send Rhodes packing this year.