Cornerback Xavier Rhodes has seen a fair share of ups and downs during the past seven seasons of his NFL career. He went from being First-Team All-Pro player and Pro Bowler in 2017 to getting cut by Minnesota Vikings this offseason. This is when Rhoades experienced a “reality check.”
Rhoades, who ended up signing a one-year, $5 million deal with Indianapolis Colts, had a video call with the reporters on Monday and said that the Vikings’ decision caught him off guard.
“I didn’t know in the beginning the Vikings wanted to move on,” said Rhodes. “It’s an eye-opener to the point you don’t have a job for a couple of days, a couple of weeks.”
According to Rhodes, this experience made him realize he needs to prove himself “every day.”
“I never thought I’d be to this point, but then again, you have to realize where you’re at,” – he added. “This is the NFL. It’s a business. I just accepted the fact and moved on, and I’m ready to play for Indy.”
Since becoming Vikings’ first-round pick in 2013, Xavier Rhodes seemed like he will be part of Minnesota’s secondary for a really long time. He made two consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in 2016 and 2017 when he also earned First-team All-Pro honors. But Rhoades couldn’t stay at the same level in the following years.
Last season especially proved tough for Rhoades as he struggled to do his job and had career-low six pass deflection. Also, he allowed 81.5% pass completion when guarding an opposing receiver. Considering that Rhoades was set to earn $14 million in 2020, Vikings decided to it was too much of a gamble to wait and see whether he bounces back next season and moved on.
