5 former Vikings players who could return for the 2022 season

Xavier Rhodes – CB

2021 Team: Indianapolis Colts

It wasn’t all that long ago the phrase “Rhodes Closed” was heard around U.S. Bank Stadium. That was because Xavier Rhodes truly did shut down the receiver he was covering, all but erasing him from the game.

Rhodes was the definition of a shutdown cornerback who broke up 83 passes in his time with the Vikings. Teams simply quit throwing Rhodes’ way as it was usually an incompletion and a waste of a down.

Something strange happened in 2018 though. He suddenly wasn’t the lockdown cornerback he used to be. Rhodes were no longer closed, in fact, they were wide open, and teams didn’t just start throwing his way, they began targeting him and exploiting him as the weak link in the secondary.

During his downfall, Rhodes was often hurt and there were times he was even helped off the field. Former Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer would tell the media Rhodes was fine, and then put him back out there the following week with the same results. 2019 wasn’t any better for Rhodes and he was released by the Vikings during the 2020 offseason.

He then signed with the Colts and the change of scenery did him good. While he wasn’t the Xavier Rhodes of his prime, he did play much better, and he definitely wasn’t a liability in coverage.

Rhodes is again a free agent and the Vikings find themselves in need of corner help. Zimmer is no longer in Minnesota, so there would be no bad blood between him and the coaching staff.

Rhodes could fill that veteran mentor role to the team’s young group of corners, giving them secrets and helping them get lined up properly. At 31-years-old, he would be an affordable option, and many fans would like to see him end his career where it all began.,