Vikings Corral Corner Reinforcements by Signing 1st-Round Talent
Well, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah isn’t done yet.
The team’s GM brought former Lions corner Jeff Okudah to town for a visit. Things must have gone well because the two sides have come to an agreement on a contract. ESPN’s Adam Schefter passed along the news: “Vikings and CB Jeff Okudah reached agreement today on a one-year contract, per @UniSportsMgmt CEO Kevin Conner. The 26-year-old Okudah had multiple options, but chose to return to the NFC North, this time with the Vikings to play for DC Brian Flores.”
Vikings Pickup Jeffrey Okudah
An all-upside move from Adofo-Mensah. So, be reasonably excited about the deal.
Yes, Okudah has had a rocky career after being picked at No. 3 back in the 2020 NFL Draft but let’s not forget that there was a reason why he was chosen so high. Standing at 6’1″ and weighing 205 pounds, Okudah offers the kind of size that Minnesota’s other options — Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, Mekhi Balckmon — don’t.
Even better, the man is still only 26.
Going into the 2020 NFL Draft, the NFL’s Lance Zierlein compared Okudah to Patrick Peterson while arguing that the young CB should get drafted in the 1st.
Consider the scouting blurb: “Head coach and general manager’s dream prospect with blue-chip physical traits, mental makeup and personal character. He has size, length and foot quickness to road-block press release and elite closing burst to close catch windows or eliminate yards after catch. He has room for improvement with his recognition and balance at the top of the route, but quarterbacks rarely target and beat him over the top. He has a rigid adherence to technique, but squeezing coverage even tighter and trusting his traits, talent and recovery speed could make him one of the top shutdown corners in the game.”
Now, Okudah’s career hasn’t gone perfectly since then. The corner has struggled with injury, never playing a full season in his career. At most, he has been involved in fifteen games, something that occurred back in 2022. Otherwise, he played thirteen games in 2023 but has failed to get into the double-digits in his other three seasons.
Even in his best season, though, Okudah put together modest play, at least by certain assessments. PFF gave him an average grade sitting at 59.4 for his work in 2022. In April of 2023, the Lions traded him to the Falcons for a 5th, seeming to confirm that the defender’s play was less than stellar.
Minnesota is currently sitting on more than $30 million in cap space for 2025. The deal for Okudah is likely to be quite modest, all things considered. Last season, Houston handed over a single-season deal that came with a price tag of $4,750,000. Okudah went on to play just 77 defensive snaps in half a dozen games, earning a paltry 30.8 PFF grade.
So, expect the compensation to be coming in pretty low.
The Vikings’ corner position is being led by Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and Mekhi Blackmon. At best, Okudah will be the CB4 going into the offseason competition.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Dumb Vikings Trade Idea Makes Its Return
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
