With all three starters set to hit free agency, the Vikings need to reload their cornerback room.
The Vikings’ cornerback room will need to be reloaded in a big way this offseason. Starters Byron Murphy Jr. and Stephon Gilmore are set for free agency, as are CB3 Shaq Griffin and CB4 Fabian Moreau. The only players currently under contract in 2025 are Mekhi Blackmon, who is coming off a torn ACL, and depth options like Dwight McGlothern, Ambry Thomas, Nahshon Wright, and Reddy Steward.
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will need to add at least two starting-caliber corners this offseason. Fortunately, the Vikings have the cap space to make some significant moves in free agency. Let’s take a look at some of the notable players they could target at the cornerback position.
D.J. Reed, Jets
Reed has sometimes been overshadowed by teammate Sauce Gardner, but he’s a bona fide No. 1 corner (or elite No. 2) in his own right. The 28-year-old has been outstanding since becoming a full-time starter in 2020, first with Seattle for a couple years and then for the last three in New York. That’s included a few impressive performances against Justin Jefferson and the Vikings. Reed is undersized for a boundary corner at 5’9″, but he makes up for it with physicality, technique, and ball skills. He’s a great player who would fit nicely in Brian Flores’ defense.
Carlton Davis, Lions
If Flores wants the Vikings to shell out for a player with more prototypical size, Davis would be the guy to target. He’s 6’1″, 206 pounds and has long arms. The former six-year Buccaneers starter was traded to Detroit last spring and played at a high level for the Lions before suffering a season-ending jaw injury. Since 2019, only Denzel Ward has more passes defended than Davis, who has 80 of them during that span. Like Reed, he’s still in his prime at 28 years old.
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Byron Murphy Jr., Vikings
Murphy’s price went up after a six-interception season that earned him his first career Pro Bowl nod. He’s sticky in coverage, makes plays on the ball, and has the versatility to play inside or outside. Murphy also had six tackles for loss and a forced fumble this season. The former Cardinals second-round pick is just 27 years old despite being six years into his NFL career. The Vikings would presumably love to re-sign Murphy, but it’ll all depend on the cost.
Related: Every Vikings free agent and their odds to return to Minnesota in 2025
Charvarius Ward, 49ers
Ward was a Pro Bowler and second team All-Pro in 2023 after racking up five interceptions and a league-high 23 total passes defended. His 2024 wasn’t nearly as good, and included five missed games due to injury, but his track record suggests he should bounce back next season. The former Chiefs UDFA turns 29 in May. He’s another big outside corner at 6’1″.
Mike Hilton, Bengals
Hilton is arguably the best nickel corner in football. Flores may or may not consider that a need, given how good Josh Metellus is when he lines up in the slot, but the Vikings might need Metellus to play a more traditional safety role if they lose Harrison Smith and/or Camryn Bynum. The 5’9″ Hilton led all cornerbacks with a 91.7 PFF run defense grade and tied for the league lead with 12 TFL. He’s been a playmaker for his entire eight-year career, split between the Bengals and Steelers. Hilton turns 31 in March, but he’ll have a solid market.
Asante Samuel Jr., Chargers
A second-round pick in 2021, Samuel had 6 INTs and 35 total passes defended in his first three seasons before being limited to four games this past season with a shoulder injury. He’s got inside-outside and man-zone versatility at 5’10”, 180 pounds. Samuel doesn’t turn 26 until October and could still have his best football in front of him. He fits a mold the Vikings like to target as a former high draft pick coming off his rookie contract in his mid-20s.
Kristian Fulton, Chargers
Fulton was a 2020 second-rounder who spent his rookie contract with the Titans and then had the best season of his career on a one-year deal with the Chargers. He’s earned a solid raise from the $3 million he got last year coming off a disappointing Tennessee tenure. Fulton was college teammates with Jefferson at LSU and turns 27 in September.
Others
Rasul Douglas, Bills
Brandon Stephens, Ravens
Stephon Gilmore, Vikings
Eric Stokes, Packers
Paulson Adebo, Saints
Shaq Griffin, Vikings