The Minnesota Vikings made a significant move at cornerback this offseason by locking in Byron Murphy with a lucrative three-year contract. They also added Isaiah Rodgers in free agency, who is expected to start alongside Murphy—a move reportedly influenced by defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Beyond Murphy and Rodgers, the cornerback depth gets shaky. The team took a chance on Jeff Okudah, the former No. 3 overall pick, though injuries have plagued his career.
Mekhi Blackmon returns after tearing his ACL during last year’s training camp, and there’s mild optimism around 2024 undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern, who has just 19 NFL snaps to his name.
At this point, few quality options remain in free agency—if they were top-tier, they’d already be signed. With many teams mindful of the compensatory draft pick formula, a wave of signings may come after the draft.
The Vikings could be among those teams, possibly looking beyond just adding a veteran quarterback behind rookie J.J. McCarthy.
One name that stands out as a potential fit is former Bengals corner Mike Hilton. Mark Stolte of Pro Football Network recently recommended Hilton as the ideal free-agent target for Minnesota.
“The Vikings have Murphy and Rodgers on the outside but lack a true slot corner,” Stolte noted. “While Murphy can shift inside, keeping him outside and plugging Hilton into the slot would be preferable, especially given the limited availability of quality outside corners in free agency.”
Hilton, who played for the Bengals over the past four seasons, recorded 73 tackles, an interception, and five pass deflections in 16 games last year (10 starts). Though slightly down from his 2022 stats (84 tackles, two picks, eight pass breakups), he still ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 16th-best cornerback overall, earning the highest run defense grade (91.7) at the position.
His continued free-agent status is surprising—unless there’s an undisclosed issue—especially since he acknowledged his likely departure from Cincinnati. Age may be a factor, as Hilton is now 31, but his performance shows he remains one of the league’s top slot defenders with no clear signs of decline.
If his contract demands have been a sticking point, Hilton might need to lower expectations to continue playing in 2025. Any chance of securing a big-money deal (like the projected three years, $37 million per Spotrac) appears to be gone.
