In an effort to replace their several departing weapons, the Minnesota Vikings signed another cornerback in free agency. With several holes still to fill, the Vikings will bring in former Detroit Lions' first-round pick Jeff Okudah.
Okudah and the Vikings agreed to a one-year deal, per Adam Schefter. Okudah visited the team on Monday before coming to terms with them on Tuesday morning. According to Schefter, he had “multiple options” but was convinced by Minnesota to return to the NFC North.
The Vikings will be Okudah's fourth team in as many years after spending his first three seasons with the Lions. Despite entering the league as the consensus top cornerback of the 2020 NFL Draft, he has statistically been one of the worst defensive backs in the league.
Okudah is coming off a six-game season in 2024, the second-fewest of his career. He spent most of the year on the Houston Texans' injured reserve list, posting just eight tackles and one pass breakup.
Ahead of his sixth season, Okudah is still just 26 with reason to believe he still has a chance to turn his career around. He now gets a chance to work with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, arguably the best coach of his career. In 2024, Flores led a Vikings secondary that led the league with 24 interceptions.
Vikings' defensive free agency overhaul
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After a surprising 2024 season, most of the focus of the Vikings' free agency has been on their decision to pass on Sam Darnold, signaling the beginning of the J.J. McCarthy era. While that occurred, the team was forced to address its defense, due to the plethora of veterans hitting the open market.
Since the start of the new league year, Minnesota has signed Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Isaiah Rodgers and Eric Wilson. They also extended Byron Murphy Jr. and Theo Jackson, while re-working Harrison Smith's deal to keep him on the roster for at least one more year. The changes have revamped Flores' front seven, but leaves several vacancies in the secondary.
At the time of Okudah's signing, he joins the Vikings as their third-most experienced cornerback, behind just Murphy and Rodgers. Versatile captain Josh Metellus is capable of playing snaps at nickelback, but that position is typically occupied by Murphy. Given the current roster, that leaves either Okudah, NaJee Thompson or Ambry Thomas as one of the team's starting outside cornerbacks. Neither would be an ideal scenario.
Without many appetizing options left in free agency, the Vikings could target the position in the 2025 NFL Draft. Minnesota currently has just three selections in the upcoming draft, including the No. 24 overall pick. Jahdae Barron and Benjamin Morrison headline the list of cornerback prospects expected to fall in that range.
