What if Xavier Rhodes doesn’t get back on track in 2019?

The veteran Minnesota Vikings cornerback is coming off a 2018 season that saw him struggle out on the field more than usual.

Frustrating would be a good way to describe the performance by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes last season.

Rhodes still played better than more than half of the other corners around the NFL in 2018. But the Vikings are paying him to be a top 10 cornerback, not a top 50 cornerback.

For most of last season, Rhodes was dealing with various injuries. Ultimately, these injuries resulted in him missing two of Minnesota’s games, including the 2018 finale against the Chicago Bears.

Even when he was able to play last season, Rhodes’ nagging injuries still forced him to miss time out on the field.

Of the 14 games the Vikings corner appeared in last year, there were three instances in which he was on the field for less than 65 percent of the defense’s total snaps. This didn’t happen once for Rhodes during the 2016 or 2017 season.

Typically, the veteran corner participates in at least 90 percent of Minnesota’s total defensive snaps during each matchup. So this something that has to become more common, once again, in 2019 for Rhodes.

If not, it could lead to his time with the Vikings ending as early as 2020.

Minnesota will need to make some tough decisions to clear cap space next offseason and Rhodes could be a player they decide to part ways with if he doesn’t return to his elite status in 2019.

For 2020, the Vikings corner carries a cap hit of $12.9 million. If Minnesota releases him instead, they would free up over $8 million in cap space.

However, a move like this could also depend on where fellow Vikings corner Trae Waynes ends up after the upcoming season. Waynes is scheduled to become a free agent in 2020 and it wouldn’t be very surprising if he chose to leave Minnesota and sign elsewhere.

If this happens, then the Vikings may feel obligated to keep Rhodes around in 2020 regardless of how he performs during the upcoming season.

A decision would just be a lot easier for Minnesota to make if their top corner was able to get back to performing like he did in 2016 and 2017. If Rhodes is unable to do this though, then it’s very possible that he could be entering his final year in purple and gold.