Vikings Choose Not to Tender ERFA Cornerback Chris Jones
The Vikings have elected not to tender exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) cornerback Chris Jones, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Jones was an ERFA because his contract expired and he had fewer than three accrued seasons in the NFL. The Vikings could've offered Jones a one-year, league minimum contract worth $920,000 that would've prevented him from negotiating with other teams, but they chose not to do so. He's now an unrestricted free agent.
The move saves $260,000 in cap space, for now, because Jones would've taken the place of a $660,000 player in the Vikings' top 51 contracts. He becomes the third cornerback let go by the Vikings recently, joining Cordrea Tankersley and Tae Hayes, who were released last week.
This move is less about cap space than it is about the Vikings' evaluation of Jones, who they signed off of waivers last October. Due to Minnesota's injuries at corner, Jones wound up playing 267 defensive snaps in the second half of the season. But outside of a strong game against the Panthers and a couple other solid reps in coverage, he didn't make much of a case to stick around.
The big issue with Jones was his tackling. He missed six tackles with the Cardinals in 2019 and five more with the Vikings last year, including a couple of inexcusable misses.
The Vikings will move forward with Cameron Dantzler, Jeff Gladney, Mike Hughes, Kris Boyd, Harrison Hand, and Dylan Mabin at cornerback. Considering Hughes' injury issues and the overall youth of that group, the Vikings should be looking to add a corner or two this offseason.
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