The Minnesota Vikings could lose cornerback Trae Waynes if the Las Vegas Raiders show him the money.
Cornerback continues to be a dilemma for the Silver and Black. Gareon Conley was a bust and even tough Trayvon Mullen can potentially be special, the team needs help. Waynes, for his part, has been a core player for the Vikings, but he’s due for a pay day.
Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune predicts Waynes will be due for a raise. However, Minnesota will probably not be able to deliver. This would leave the door open for the Raiders if they’re willing to potentially pay almost $8.4 million a year for him. The benefit there is that he wouldn’t come as expensive as some of the more recognized cornerbacks. Sheil Kapadia highlighted this in some of his recent via work via The Athletic.
Oakland/Las Vegas finished 31st against the pass last year and need more than one new face in the secondary. Waynes started 53 games in five seasons with the Vikings and won’t be nearly as expensive as the top-tier corners.
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Statistically speaking, Waynes has been solid throughout his career with the Vikings. Career totals of 53 games started, seven interceptions, and 42 passes defensed back that claim. As far as pass coverage, he might raise a couple of red flags though. Most notably, in 2019 he gave up five receiving touchdowns and a passer rating of 107.9, not very encouraging numbers.
Those 2019 numbers aside, Waynes would still be a much needed improvement over some of what the Raiders have had in recent memory.
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