The Minnesota Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL coming into this season, but the one thing that’s missing is an elite cornerback.
The Vikings are rolling into this year with a starting trio of Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and James Pierre at the top of their corner depth chart. But it may have been hard not to feel some envy when Christian Gonzalez agreed to a four-year, $135 million contract extension with the New England Patriots earlier this week.
With $102 million in guaranteed money, it could be an area where Minnesota saves money to spend elsewhere. But it also raises the question of why they haven’t invested top-dollar resources into a premium position.
The answer is that the Vikings have a system, and it’s one that relies on the other areas of their defense to make the corners look even better.
Minnesota Vikings have found a winning formula at cornerback
Taking a look at the Vikings’ defense, it’s been a group effort under Brian Flores. Deploying his front seven with the NFL’s highest blitz rate at 44.3 percent last season, Flores relies on quarterback pressure to force poor decisions, and the defense capitalizes by generating sacks, turnovers, and other high-impact plays.
That defense thrives when Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner are healthy and productive. But the back end has some questions.
The safety position is one of those areas, as Josh Metellus has served as a versatile chess piece for Flores since his arrival in 2023. But the Vikings also have other contributors with Theo Jackson, Jakobe Thomas, Jacob Thomas, and the returning Harrison Smith.
By carrying five safeties on the roster, it shows how important that end of the secondary is. While the cornerbacks still have an important job, the Vikings have done a good job of finding players who return value, both in their performance and their contracts.
The evidence has come in their investment at cornerback. The Vikings haven’t drafted a corner in the first round since Mike Hughes in 2018. Their last corner in the first two days of the draft was Andrew Booth in the second round of the 2022 draft.
Taking a corner early in drafts used to be a punchline with Mike Zimmer as head coach, but it’s become an afterthought since Flores came to Minnesota.
The Vikings' current stable of corners reflects that philosophy. While Murphy is handsomely paid after signing a three-year, $54 million contract in free agency last offseason, his $18 million annual average value ranks 17th according to Over The Cap.
Rodgers and Pierre are under even bigger bargains as Rodgers signed a two-year, $11 million contract before last season and Pierre signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract during this year’s free agency period.
With fifth-round rookie Charles Demmings and former undrafted free agent Zemiaiah Vaughn rounding out the roster, it’s a different approach than a team like the Los Angeles Rams, who paid top dollar for Trent McDuffie (four years, $124 million with $50 million guaranteed) and Jaylen Watson (three years, $51 million with $26.5 million guaranteed) this offseason. But that doesn’t mean that Minnesota's corners haven’t had an impact.
The Vikings' cornerback strategy allows them to invest elsewhere
The Vikings have been reluctant to pay their corners lately, but they’ve still gotten strong results. In 2024, Byron Murphy ranked 21st among qualifying corners with an overall grade of 72.8 according to PFF. While Murphy’s grade slipped to a 58.5 overall grade last year, a lot of it could have been due to having to play on the outside when a similar gamble, Jeff Okudah, struggled to stay healthy.
Rodgers was another cost-efficient player, finishing 18th among qualifiers with a 73.8 overall grade last season. But that included one of the greatest games in the PFF era, posting a 99.9 overall grade in a Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Obviously, if you asked a Vikings fan, they would rather have Gonzalez. But a cornerback's performance can also be volatile, including Gonzalez’s 65.8 overall grade, which ranked 44th among qualifiers last season.
McDuffie and Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks have more consistent track records, but if the Vikings get similar production at a lower price, they can use that money elsewhere.
This is how the Vikings were able to give Smith $12 million to return this season, and it could come in handy next offseason, when they could pay $30 million to Kyler Murray or Mac Jones to solve their never-ending quarterback problem.
It could all blow up if a Vikings corner has a poor game, but it’s why they haven’t dove head-first into the NFL’s exploding cornerback market and could have Minnesota continuing to find cheap options in the future.
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