Lo and Behold, Kwesi’s Corner Signing Comes in Lower than Anticipated
Ah, yes, the clarity that comes once given a chance to have a look under the hood.
The initial reports indicated that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed corner Isaiah Rodgers to a two-year contract worth a total of $15 million. The details are now live on Over the Cap, ones that paint a different picture. Consider the update on OTC: “Isaiah Rodgers signed a two year contract with the Minnesota Vikings worth $11 million with maximum value of $15 million. Rodgers received $8 million guaranteed including a $4.875 million signing bonus.”
Kwesi’s Corner Contract with Isaiah Rodgers
First, a small victory lap.
Prior to free agency, PurplePTSD published a piece detailing a trio of bargain free agents who made sense for Minnesota to pursue. Among them was Mr. Rodgers.
Consider the word: “Rodgers is a smaller corner, coming in at 5’10” and weighing just 170 pounds. The odd detail is that he’s primarily an outside corner, not someone who lives in the slot. Again, a bit like [Duke] Shelley. The upside is that he’s 27 and coming off a Super Bowl season in Philly. Last year, PFF gave him a 76.0 grade for his efforts, 20th among 223 corners considered. He finished his season with 328 snaps across fifteen games, picking up 26 tackles, 4 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.”
Rodgers, in other words, does make sense to add, especially since he was projected to come on a bargain deal.
In the end, Rodgers’ contract is closer to middle-class range within the world of NFL finances. What’s notable is simply that the number is smaller than what we were initially led to believe (as is often the case in the attention-grabbing headlines).
On social media, Sean Borman from VT rightly notes that the Rodgers deal is “more like a 2-year, $11M deal.” Not bad, right?
The expectation should be that Isaiah Rodgers will push for a starting spot. We’ve previously seen what a veteran depth piece can land from the Vikings in last year’s deal for Fabian Moreau which came in at $1,460,000 over a single season. Rodgers is a decent step ahead of that contract range while nevertheless being pretty cheap.
Rodgers’ cap charge in 2025 is set at $3,598,500. The number will swell to $7,437,500 in 2026.
With all of the moves that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has made, the Vikings should be expected to be in the mix in 2025. The free agent class has been bolstered by some huge names, but one wonders if a lesser-heralded signing like Isaiah Rodgers for a mid-level deal ends up being a difference maker.
Stay tuned, folks. Plenty still to come.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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.