Vikings blockbuster trade proposal adds 7-time Pro Bowler to address 'ugly' cornerback room

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Minnesota Vikings have been lauded for their work this offseason, bolstering the offensive line for quarterback J.J. McCarthy while addressing thin position groups like running back and defensive tackle.

Not everyone has been impressed, however. 

NFL Draft analyst Mike Renner CBS Sports ripped the current state of Minnesota’s cornerback group — “it’s ugly,” he said — while imploring the team to swing a blockbuster trade for disgruntled Miami Dolphins superstar Jalen Ramsey.

“I think they need to trade for a cornerback,” Renner said. “They’ve lost a lot of pieces from that secondary (in 2024), Stephon Gilmore, Cam Bynum. This cornerback group right now, like Isaiah Rodgers, Mekhi Blackmon, Byron Murphy — it’s ugly. If you really think you’re in a championship window, you need to be better than that at the cornerback position.

“Obviously, Jalen Ramsey requested a trade,” he added. “I think he’s perfect for Brian Flores’ defense, and I think he would be an upgrade from Stephon Gilmore, from what he was a year ago, and bring you back to that potential. It’s a move that, if I’m looking around the NFL, like, who makes the most sense?  It’s the Minnesota Vikings. I think they can afford to make a play like this when you have that cheap, rookie contract in J.J. McCarthy.”

To Renner’s point, Minnesota’s lack of urgency at both safety and cornerback has been surprising so far this offseason. The team never replaced Bynum, who left in free agency for the Indianapolis Colts, and appears poised to make Rodgers a Day 1 starter for the first time in his career. The Vikings’ other top options, like Blackmon, former first-round bust Jeff Okudah and Dwight McGlothern, leaves much to be desired.

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Ramsey would definitely be a better option than Gilmore, but proposing him as a fix-all for Minnesota’s issues in the secondary feels a bit bold. Ramsey is entering his age-31 season, is signed through 2028, and is scheduled to make north of $24 million per year. Even with McCarthy’s rookie-scale contract, the cap hits on Ramsey’s current deal are rough, especially in 2026 and beyond.

The Vikings will need a player like Blackmon — a former third-round pick who lost his entire 2024 season to injury — to pop this season, or potentially even a dart-throw like Okudah. But after their $300 million spending spree in free agency, it’s hard to see the Vikings spending draft capital on an aging Ramsey and his bad contract. 

It would be surprising if the Vikings stood pat at cornerback entering Week 1 of the regular season, but dipping back into free agency for a one-year deal — Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, Asante Samuel Jr. and Rasul Douglas all make sense — feels like the prudent approach.

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