4 of the worst moves the Minnesota Vikings made in the 2023 offseason

Not re-signing cornerback Duke Shelley

On the defensive side of the ball, there wasn't much that the Vikings did well last season. However, cornerback Duke Shelley turned out to be the biggest pleasant surprise of the year.

Shelley didn't log a defensive snap for Minnesota in 2022 until their incredible Week 10 win over the Buffalo Bills. He immediately made an impact for the Vikings during that win and he eventually got a chance to start during the team's Week 12 win over the New England Patriots.

Shelley is undersized (5-foot-9, 176 pounds) for an outside corner, but that didn't matter last season. He made play after play after play in 2022 and he wound up finishing the season with PFF's fourth-best defensive grade among all qualifying cornerbacks in the NFL.

Re-signing Shelley seemed like a no-brainer, but it apparently wasn't something the Vikings felt was a huge priority this offseason. Instead, he ended up signing a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders for just $1.3 million, an amount that Minnesota could have easily matched if they truly wanted to.

But the Vikings clearly have other plans at the cornerback position for the 2023 season, and they're plans that don't involve Shelley. Hopefully, Minnesota doesn't wind up regretting their decision to let him walk out the door.