It Wouldn't Have Cost Much for the Vikings to Bring Back Duke Shelley

Former Vikings cornerback Duke Shelley signed with the Raiders this week, much to the chagrin of Minnesota fans.

Shelley, initially signed to the Vikings' practice squad last September after he was waived by the Bears, became a fan favorite with his play late in the season. He made a game-saving pass breakup against the Bills in his Vikings debut, stepped into the starting lineup a couple weeks later, and never relinquished his spot. Not only was Shelley a fun underdog story as a 5'9" former sixth-round pick on his second team, he was legitimately a shutdown corner for the Vikings down the stretch.

Thus, fans were bummed when it was announced that Shelley was heading to Las Vegas. And there was even further confusion when KSTP's Darren Wolfson reported that Shelley's contract with the Raiders is worth roughly $1.3 million in 2023, not much more than the veteran minimum. 33-year-old Patrick Peterson signing a two-year, $14 million deal with the Steelers is one thing, but Shelley didn't break the bank at all. "Really? The Vikings couldn't beat that?" was a common sentiment I saw on Twitter.

Well, the Vikings undoubtedly could've afforded that. It seems that they simply chose not to. Shelley himself said in an Instagram comment that the Vikings only offered him $1.2 million.

It's anyone's guess as to why the Vikings made that choice, but the logical assumption is that new defensive coordinator Brian Flores didn't view Shelley as a good fit in his man-heavy system.

Perhaps that will turn out to be the right choice. But if Shelley has a strong year with the Raiders and the Vikings' cornerbacks struggle, it'll be something that gets remembered. For now, the Vikings are going with the newly-acquired Byron Murphy and second-year players Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans atop their cornerback depth chart, although they'll almost certainly continue to add to the position at some point.