The Minnesota Vikings defense carried them to a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, and Isaiah Rodgers was a big reason why. Rodgers turned in a great game, making four total tackles, and also made a pair of impactful plays when he recovered a D’Andre Swift fumble in the third quarter and blocked a Cairo Santos field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.
According to PFF, Rodgers was also strong in coverage, allowing one reception for seven yards on two targets, bringing his overall 2026 numbers to four catches for 23 yards and a touchdown over the first two games.
Entering the final year of his contract under a new regime, Rodgers’s future in Minnesota was up for debate coming into the year. But with the way he’s starting the season, he could be playing his way into an extension or a lot of money wherever he decides to go.
Isaiah Rodgers is becoming another cornerback gem for the Vikings
Rodgers came to Minnesota as part of the Vikings’ philosophy on cornerbacks. Instead of spending top dollar at the position, the Vikings look for under-the-radar targets and rely on them to seize starting roles.
It’s a strategy that helped Minnesota identify Byron Murphy Jr. during the 2023 offseason and brought Rodgers to Minnesota on a two-year, $11 million contract.
There was some risk with Rodgers, who was originally drafted in the sixth round by the Colts in the 2020 draft but was suspended for the entire 2023 season after violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
After rehabbing his stock as a reserve with the Philadelphia Eagles, he signed with the Vikings and had a solid first season, allowing 42 catches for 495 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and a pass breakup on 65 targets per PFF.
Rodgers also had a legendary high, posting a 99.9 overall PFF grade in a Week 3 win against the Cincinnati Bengals, but his future may still have been in question after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired.
With new GM Nolan Teasley evaluating the roster, Rodgers would have to perform, but he has clearly answered the bell with the way he played on Sunday afternoon.
Isaiah Rodgers is playing his way into a big pay day
There are 15 more games until the Vikings have to decide on Rodgers’s future, but it’s clear that he’s on the right track. While he could command a payday in free agency, Rodgers is a corner on a roster that doesn’t have many answers outside of Murphy and outside cornerback James Pierre, who is currently on a two-year, $8.5 million contract.
There’s also an outside chance the Vikings could have a replacement in waiting in fifth-round pick Charles Demmings. But it’s clear he’s a project after playing just 11 special teams snaps over the first two weeks.
Unless the Vikings buck the trend and take a corner early in the draft, Rodgers seems to have a good chance to stick around past this season. Even if they do, Rodgers can hit the market and cash in on a much larger deal from a team that needs help on defense.
If he plays as he did against the Bears, that money will come. But it also could help Rodgers earn a deal from the new regime and give the Vikings a key piece of their defense this season.
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