The Vikings are moving closer and closer to their inevitable divorce from cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
Rhodes, the last of three 2013 first-round picks still on the team (Sharrif Floyd and Cordarrelle Patterson were the other two), started Sunday’s game against the Chargers. He participated in only 14 defensive snaps.
“He was fine,” coach Mike Zimmer told reporters on Monday regarding Rhodes’ participation in 23 percent of the defensive reps. “I don’t think that [injury] had anything to do with it.”
Asked whether the leg injury limited Rhodes’ snaps, Zimmer said, “No. That was just the plan going in.”
And it’s just a matter of time before Rhodes will be going out the door. His performance no longer justifies an eight-figure annual compensation package. Even if he’s willing to take far less, he has become a liability — and it makes far more sense to develop a younger player whose is on the rise.