Once one of the most promising young Cornerbacks in the League, Xavier Rhodes might be seeing himself out of Minnesota. There has been much speculation on Rhodes this offseason as he is most likely a trade or cut Candidate for the Minnesota Vikings. Is Rhodes worth trying to keep? Let’s find out.
Rhodes Closed was the famous nick name given to Xavier Rhodes after two stellar seasons in 2016-2017 that saw the Corner listed as a top 5 in the League. He posted 7 Interceptions combined those seasons along with a touchdown. He was a shut down Corner and was only letting the likes of Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr, Antonio Brown, and Michael Thomas get less then 50 yards a game. Those are/were the top wideouts. I never had to worry about big name guys as I knew the Rhodes were CLOSED. It was a blast watching Rhodes make those super stars break down in pure anger as they just couldn’t escape his path and would do little to help their team. Rhodes made Beckham Jr have a full on melt down their match up. What I would do to see that again, Sigh…….
Rhodes performance has declined at an almost alarming rate. Usually you see a small decline in play for older players, but you don’t really have to worry about it for a few years. That was not the case for Rhodes. At only 29 years old, Rhodes has been just riddled with injuries that have greatly reduced his performance. It seems like he hasn’t been healthy since the playoffs of the 2017 season. He was given a 5 year, 70 million dollar contract at the end of the 2017 season as he was expected to continue his Lock Down Corner status, but he has not lived up to the contact in any way, shape, or form. He was arguably the worst starting Corner in the league last year. He just always seemed to be a few steps behind the Receiver, or just always in a wrong place. When he wasn’t allowing a TD, he was making sure he was at least giving the other team a 15 yard penalty for holding….Okay I am being to mean right now. I really liked Rhodes and am genuinely sad to see what injuries have done to such a great player. Rhodes and Smith were just an unstoppable force, well except for the 2017 NFC championship game.
Minnesota will probably look to trade Rhodes this offseason as they don’t have much cap room and are trying to make as much as possible for the next generation of players. Rhodes’s contract is just too much for them to handle if he is performing way below average, and I don’t think they can risk keeping him, no matter how much they would want to. Now I think Rhodes could go to another team and turn himself around. I think too much negativity has gone his way and a fresh start might help his mind and body. I would love to see him go back to being a Lock Down Corner…as long as he wouldn’t be versing the Vikings. What Do you think will happen to Rhodes this offseason? Well lets find out. SKOL!
The Boys In Purple 