5 offseason moves the Minnesota Vikings must make

2. Part Ways With Xavier Rhodes

After Zimmer called him out last offseason, there may have been a trade market for Rhodes. But that is surely gone now, as Rhode proved he is fully a shell of himself this year. Pro Football Focus had him among the bottom 10-12 corners in the entire league, and opposing offenses routinely targeted him and exposed him. Rhodes are clearly no longer closed when passes go toward the pass catcher the former first-round pick is covering.

Luckily, even without a trade partner that would give up much, the Vikings can move on from Rhodes in reasonably easy fashion this offseason if they want to (and they should want to). According to Over The Cap, they can cut him before June 1 and clear $8.1 million in cap space. Retaining $4.8 million in dead money isn’t ideal, but it might be worth it to avoid keeping name-brand dead weight on the roster. The numbers get more favorable in 2021, with $11.75 million in cleared cap space and $2.4 million in dead money, but any further decline from Rhodes next year can not be entertained by keeping him around.

Zimmer helped shape Rhodes from a fairly raw player into one of the top corners in the league for a time, so there may be some sentimentality toward him from the head coach. But this is business, and Rhodes had no business being on the field this season.