Vikings Rumor: Vikings Corner Pours a Bit of Gas on the Fire as Excitement for 2025 Builds
Brian Flores is a fan of Isaiah Rodgers. That’s not a Vikings rumor but, rather, and ironclad fact. The DC thinks Rodgers is going to blossom.
The new Vikings corner seems enthused about the opportunity to work under Coach Flores, offering an endorsement of the DC’s blitzing ways earlier in the offseason. More recently, Rodgers went to social media to proclaim his excitement for the year. The former Colt and Eagle wants the season to arrive: “Can we start the season already?”
Top Vikings Rumor
New Vikings Corner is Ready for the 2025 Season
Earlier in the week, Dustin Baker took some time to chat about the speedy corner on Vikings Territory.
“The Vikings,” Baker writes, “still have to embark on training camp, the preseason, and roster trimdowns at the end of summer, but it’s clear that Rodgers is itching to go. Can you blame him? Minnesota has big plans for the man in 2025.” Baker continues: “Minnesota’s coaches have heaped praise on Rodgers this spring and summer, hinting at a starter’s job next to Pro Bowler Byron Murphy Jr.”
There is an expectation and a hope for Rodgers. Does he fulfill these things by becoming the locked-in CB2?
Isaiah Rodgers, 27, stands at 5’10” and weighs 170 pounds. He got into the NFL in 2020 when he was scooped up at No. 211 (6th Round). The corner put in work for three years in Indianapolis before being suspended due to a gambling infraction.
He then journeyed over to Philadelphia, helping them to lift a Lombardi back in February.
The advanced defensive statistics on PFR suggest that only 46.4% of passes into his coverage were completed; 28 targets went for 13 catches in 2024. Within those 13 catches, Rodgers allowed 118 yards and 2 touchdowns while holding quarterbacks to an 82.1 rating.
PFF was similarly flattering, handing out a 73.2 grade for last season (including the playoffs). The analytics site explains that he snagged 368 snaps as a wide corner, 18 in the slot, 29 in the box, and 5 along the d-line. So, a bit reminiscent of Duke Shelley insofar as he’s a smaller corner who plays primarily along the outside.
In his debut season as a Viking, Isaiah Rodgers will carry a $3,632,500 cap charge. The number grows to $7,412,500 in his second season.
Provided he lives up to expectations, Rodgers looks like he’ll be a bargain. A starting-level corner who is taking a $3.6 million bite out of the budget is unusually low. Minnesota’s hope — and, to be sure, the hope for the corner himself — is to quickly smash expectations. Doing so would mean looking to extend his deal next offseason, mirroring the Andrew Van Ginkel career progression in the process.
Isaiah Rodgers appears to be quite confident in his abilities, speaking previously about being capable of helping both on defense and specials. So, too, is he doing well at making friends. He’s already close with Byron Murphy Jr., pointing out that Minnesota’s CB1 should have had more interceptions last season.
His early comfort and confidence is a good thing, further confirmation that the Vikings made a good decision when signing him.
Mr. Rodgers is looking for the season to get started, evidently excited about the prospect of taking the next step in his career. Since the Week 1 game will arrive on Monday, September 8th, Isaiah Rodgers and the Vikings are less than two months away from showing the NFL what the team can do under the bright lights of prime time football.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
