The Minnesota Vikings may already be set at the cornerback position, at least in terms of the starting lineup, but the secondary remains thin after an offseason of departures.
Starters Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin left in free agency, though Gilmore remains available on the open market as of July 4. Minnesota paid Byron Murphy Jr. big to return as the nickel cornerback, while the team added two sometimes-starters to the roster in Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is high on Rodgers, but the group of reserve corners remains even more unproven than the two players likely to start on the outside in 2025. As such, there is room for a prominent addition, such as former Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills starter Rasul Douglas.
“Plenty of teams could use some help at cornerback and would benefit from at least bringing him into training camp,” Matt Holder of Bleacher Report wrote on Thursday, July 3. “The Vikings could use some help in their secondary after deciding not to bring Stephon Gilmore back. Jeff Okudah and Isaiah Rodgers are currently expected to start on the boundary, but those two were backups with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, last season. Adding Douglas would upgrade the cornerback room in Minnesota.”
Rasul Douglas Shut Down Reunion With Packers
Holder also mentioned the Packers as one of the top landing spots for Douglas, though the cornerback shut that down on social media with relative haste.
A fan sent Douglas a message on X saying “it’d be cool” if he inked another deal in Green Bay. Douglas responded decisively in six words: “Don’t think that will happen buddy.”
The Packers traded Douglas to the Bills during the middle of the 2023 campaign in a move that didn’t sit well with the cornerback and also served as a blow to the locker room, in which Douglas was a well-liked leader.
Douglas, who will play next season at 31 years old, is coming off a three-year deal worth $21 million. Spotrac projects his market value at nearly $36 million over a new three-year contract.
Rasul Douglas May Cost More Than Vikings Want to Spend on Secondary
That price may prove high for what Minnesota is looking for in a CB2 or CB3, which the team won’t add until it gets more information on the position group during training camp.
Douglas has tallied 79 pass breakups and 19 interceptions across his seven-year career, though he struggled meaningfully last season in Buffalo.
“The former Buffalo Bill … allowed a 123.7 passer rating when targeted and posted a 58.9 coverage grade last season, per Pro Football Focus,” Holder wrote.
Okudah, 26, is a former first-round pick, while Rodgers, 27, is a former sixth-rounder. They are both much younger and far less expensive than Spotrac projects Douglas will be.
And while the Vikings have $23.5 million in salary cap space as of July 4, the team faces a cap deficit of nearly $60 million in 2026. Minnesota’s financial situation renders the signing of Douglas a considerable risk given his age and his downward trending production, particularly if the team needs to spend some money later this summer on a veteran quarterback to back up J.J. McCarthy.
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