Isaiah Rodgers is a “Brian Flores Special”
The Vikings attempted to remedy their need for depth at the cornerback position by signing free agent Isaiah Rodgers as their first finalized maneuvers of the legal tampering period.
Rodgers spent his 2024 season with the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles after spending the first three seasons of his career in Indianapolis. Rodgers was suspended the entirety of the 2023 season after an NFL investigation found him in violation of the league’s policies on gambling.
Isaiah Rodgers Gambling Controversy
This investigation revealed that Rodgers had opened an account with a major sportsbook under the name of a personal associate, placing around 100 bets; some included his own team at the time, the Indianapolis Colts. His year-long suspension was announced on June 29th, 2023, and the Colts decided to release him upon hearing the verdict.
A little less than two months later in August of 2023, the Eagles would take a flyer on him, but he wouldn’t be reinstated by the NFL until April of 2024. Rodgers was plenty accepting of his mistake, stating, “I made a mistake, and I did my time.”
Rodgers Returns to the NFL
In 2024, Isaiah Rodgers saw action in 15 games, including three in which he started. He would rack up 26 total tackles, four PBUs, and a forced fumble. Rodgers would contribute on special teams as well, where he returned eight kickoffs for 225 yards, averaging a solid 28.1 yards per attempt. His 225 return yards included a long return of 51 yards.
As we all know, following this 2024 season with the Eagles that saw Isaiah Rodgers become a Super Bowl Champion, he would sign a 2-year/$15 million contract with $8 million in guarantees from the Minnesota Vikings.
Isaiah Rodgers is a speedy corner, standing at 5’10 and weighing 170lbs, so he definitely has a smaller frame than what would be ideal in the NFL. He does compensate for his size with solid ball skills and high-level football instincts, understanding routes and positioning himself well enough to make catches as difficult as possible for the receiver.
Isaiah Rodgers was a Brian Flores Call
On the April 8th edition of Lunchbreak on the Vikings’ official website, editorial assistant Rob Klelfield pointed out an interesting note from Kevin Seifert, ESPN Analyst for these Vikings, that could indicate that Isaiah Rodgers is yet another defensive free agency budget baller like the ones from 2024:
O’Connell said that Flores identified Rodgers as a possible target early in free agent evaluations and that Flores’ success rate on other suggestions in the past — including linebackers Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman — spurred action.
With the immediate success that both Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel (along with the unmentioned Jonathan Greenard) saw in 2024 in their first season in purple, knowing that they were both apples of B-Flo’s eye and that Isaiah Rodgers was looked at in the same regard, is a testament to the ability of the corner.
This is a very welcome sign for Vikings fans, as cornerback has always been a need as long as they’ve been around. A trio of Byron Murphy Jr., Mekhi Blackmon, and Isaiah Rodgers can theoretically be a step up from the Murphy Jr., Gilmore, and Griffin trio from 2024. This edition of the trio would be one with youth, and a high draft pick would be a welcome addition to the room as well to get even younger and make the unit’s upside even higher.
If we’ve learned anything since Brian Flores has been here, it’s that we should probably trust him with his personnel, and Rodgers’ signing means no different.
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