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Vikings Free Agent DB Reportedly Flirting with Another Former Team
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- Vikings Free Agent DB Reportedly Flirting with Another Former Team
Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images
As of now, the Minnesota Vikings are set up relatively well entering the NFL Draft on Thursday night. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went gangbusters during free agency , spending handsomely with the ample cap space he and his front office afforded themselves this offseason.
If there's an area where the Vikings should still be looking for a potential Week 1 starters, however, it's probably at cornerback. With just over 48 hours remaining until the draft, Minnesota currently has Byron Murphy Jr. slotted in at CB1, after he signed an impressive new contract last month.
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Behind Murphy Jr on the depth chart sit former Packer/Eagle, Isaiah Rodgers , who the Vikings made a priority early on in free agency . The 27-year-old CB is being paid like a fringe starter, too. Nonetheless, Rodgers only started three games last season in Philly and has never been a lock starter during his four-year NFL career.
Minnesota Vikings still in need of cornerback help
After Rodgers, the Minnesota Vikings have Mekhi Blackmon , who's still recovering from offseason ACL surgery. Then, we get into depth talent like Jeff Okudah , Ambry Thomas , Dwight McGlothern and Bubba Bolden .
While some believe the purple CB group could hold its own in 2025, as currently constructed, it seems more likely they add another starter-type talent to the cornerback room between now and the end of training camp.
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Rumors have flown around regarding who that cornerback will be, including some intoxicating speculation connecting the MN Vikings to stud talent, Asante Samuel Jr . Then, there are Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin, two veterans who were staples of Minnesota's secondary in 2024.
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Both currently remain free agents and there has even been chatter that one (or both) could be on the Vikings' radar for 2025, too. Until they are signed, sealed and delivered to TCO Performance Center, however, free agents are still expected to at least flirt with other teams, should opportunities present themselves.
Stephon Gilmore flirting with Dallas Cowboys
Take Stephon Gilmore, for instance. Yes, the 34-year-old veteran was good in purple last season, but he's familiar with a lot of different NFL surroundings, seeing as he has played for six different teams through the course of his 13 year professional football career.
His most recent home, prior to joining the Minnesota Vikings, was in Dallas where the five-time Pro Bowler played with the Cowboys for one season, in 2023. He started all 17 games that year, and on Tuesday, he was spotted in Dallas visiting the Cowboys and discussing a possible return to the Big D.
Former Cowboys CB Stephon Gilmore is at The Star today
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 22, 2025
Gilmore will be 35 years old by the end of the 2025 season. While he claimed he was pondering retirment earlier in the offseason, that appears unlikely, at this point. While he isn't the shutdown CB he once was, Stephon Gilmore would immediately change the complexion of Minnesota's secondary, if he found his way out of Dallas and back at TCO Performance Center.
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Is Stephon Gilmore any good still?
Per Pro Football Focus, Gilmore posted a 62.2 defensive grade last year, way down from the 70-80+ grades he's earned throughout his illustrious NFL career. His 904 total snaps with the Vikings were on par with the 1,000+ he reported the two previous seasons, had he played all 17 regular season games, instead of just 15. While his overall and coverage grades were down (59.2), Gilmore was solid defending the run (72.6), per usual.
Stephon Gilmore was a very late training camp/preseason addition to Brian Flores' defense last year. Upon signing, he was immediately slotted in as a regular starter next to Byron Muphy Jr. He snagged just one interception as a Viking, to go along with his nine passes defensed.
For what it's worth, his lone INT was thrown by Aaron Rodgers during the Minnesota Vikings victory in a London over the New York Jets … Last year with Minnesota Gilmore played on a one-year deal worth $7 million . It's unlikely he gets that much this time around, but unlike dollar bills , competent corners don't grow on trees.
STEPHON GILMORE SEALS THE WIN WITH A PICK. #NYJvsMIN pic.twitter.com/3Li9D2uZw1
— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
MN Vikings could still be in play for Gilmore
If Gilmore leaves the Dallas Cowboys facilities without a deal, he'll remain in play for the Minnesota Vikings. Even if the Minnesota Vikings land a cornerback early in the NFL Draft, re-upping with a veteran that they are familiar with still makes sense.
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Related: Minnesota Vikings Planning a Cornerback Reunion After the Draft…?
Rather than pivoting to an unknown commodity, either Stephon Gilmore or Shaq Griffin could slot it next to, or on the other side of Murphy Jr., with Isaiah Rodgers to round out the top what would then be a well-balanced CB room.
