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New Vikings Corner Considered Early Target as Secret Weapon for 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Anthony Miller | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 3:18 PM ET

Every season always has a surprising player in free agency that comes out of nowhere and dramatically impacts their team.

Last year, the Minnesota Vikings had three defensive players in their first year with the team notch career-highs in tackles: Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel. Those four linebackers helped the Vikings rank second in rushing yards allowed per game (93.4) and fifth in scoring defense (19.5).

During this free agency period, Minnesota had no trouble spending money as they signed seven new defensive players to the team. Those guys include Jeff Okudah, Eric Wilson, Javon Hargrave, Isaiah Rodgers, Tavierre Thomas, Jonathan Allen, and Bubba Bolden.

Which one of those players will step up to the plate and be the key to the team’s success?

ESPN Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert shared some of his insights from the NFL Annual Meeting. Seifert heard from Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell that defensive coordinator Brian Flores has his eyes on Isaiah Rodgers as an early target for a secret weapon on the team.

"When Flo kind of has that tone in his voice about guys," O'Connell said, "... he's been pretty darn accurate."

O’Connell added that Rodgers could be seeing more playing time than some might expect.

"I see Isaiah being an every-down impact guy."

Rodgers signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Vikings after spending the last two years with the Philadelphia Eagles. While 2023 was a wash as he served a one-year suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, Rodgers came back strong during the Eagles’ Super Bowl 2024 campaign with 26 tackles, four pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 15 games.

Byron Murphy Jr. was re-signed this offseason by Minnesota as he is expected to be the number one cornerback on the depth chart. Working opposite him would currently be between Rodgers and Okudah.

Rodgers and Okudah were both selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, as Okudah was a first-round pick and Rodgers was a sixth-round pick. Comparing career numbers, Rodgers has been better in coverage against Okudah during their careers. Here are the numbers:

Stat	Isaiah Rodgers	Jeff Okudah
Completion Percentage	58.9%	67%
Yards Allowed Per Completion	10.6	15
QB Rating	90.8	103.8

Okudah has started 31 games, while Rodgers has just 13 starts, indicating that Okudah faced stiffer competition throughout his career. There’s no denying, though, that Flores might be onto something with Rodgers for 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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