In a league governed by a salary cap, finding productive players on low-cost rookie deals or bargained-based veterans can be the key to success in the NFL.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts invested heavily in beefing up their defense during the offseason.
They traded a first-round pick to San Francisco for defensive tackle DeForest...
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Xavier Rhodes delivered the first punch Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts.
T.J. Carrie finished it off on a milestone day for Philip Rivers.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Xavier Rhodes and Adam Thielen came to training camp together as rookies in 2013, one of them the Vikings' first-round draft pick from Florida State, the other an undrafted...
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent cornerback Xavier Rhodes on Thursday, adding another potentially key piece to their defense.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With the NFL market now open, as teams try to make the math work to support their offseason shopping, the Minnesota Vikings have so far been doing more subtracting than...
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The stability and related success the Minnesota Vikings enjoyed on defense during coach Mike Zimmer's first six seasons will face a big test in 2020.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have five additions to the NFC Pro Bowl roster, giving them eight players in the all-star game for their highest total in 10 years.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — In the snapshot of how and when the Minnesota Vikings let their critical game at Seattle slip away, Xavier Rhodes was squarely in the frame.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When the yellow flag flew for defensive pass interference on Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes in a recent game, coach Mike Zimmer immediately contested the...
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Nine months removed from an ACL tear in his left knee, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes has yet to be cleared to return to action.
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Xavier Rhodes was trailing Green Bay's Davante Adams in coverage along the sideline late in the fourth quarter last week. Aaron Rodgers let the ball fly and Minnesota's best cornerback raced to catch up.
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — With another dangerous quarterback opposing the Minnesota Vikings this week, the helmet on cornerback Xavier Rhodes in practice Wednesday was a welcomed sight.
The performance by his replacement in the last game against New Orleans was equally encouraging.
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have ruled our four injured starters against New Orleans, linebacker Anthony Barr (hamstring), left guard Tom Compton (knee), running back Dalvin Cook (hamstring) and strong safety Andrew Sendejo (groin).
Left tackle Riley Reiff (foot) was listed as doubtful after being held out of practice Friday. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes (foot) and nose tackle Linval Joseph (ankle/knee) were listed as questionable for Sunday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo was fined $53,482 by the NFL on Friday for his hit during a play in Minnesota's tie at Green Bay last weekend.
Sendejo was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness after tackling Packers wide receiver Davante Adams in the third quarter. The safety knocked into Adams with his right shoulder just after Xavier Rhodes made initial contact.
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have re-signed cornerback Terence Newman, bringing the NFL's oldest active defensive player back for a 16th season that will begin five days after he turns 40.
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings selected Central Florida cornerback Mike Hughes with the 30th pick in the first round on Thursday night, resisting temptation to pass up a premium position while counting on depth in the pool of offensive linemen to help them later in the draft.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Four Minnesota Vikings players have been picked for the Pro Bowl that they're hoping not to participate in.
Wide receiver Adam Thielen, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive end Everson Griffen were on the rosters revealed on Tuesday for the annual all-star game, held in Hawaii on Jan. 29. Players whose teams reach the Super Bowl will be replaced, and the Vikings (11-3) have their sights set on the big game in Minnesota on Feb. 4.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — The surest evidence that a cornerback has established himself as a standout in the NFL is not an All-Pro honor or an eight-figure contract extension.
No, the true sign of arrival is the shadow assignment.
For Xavier Rhodes, that moment came late in his second season with the Minnesota Vikings, when he lined up across from Calvin Johnson in Detroit on Dec. 14, 2014, and, oh, was Rhodes nervous.
DETROIT (AP) — Case Keenum threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score all in the first half to give the Minnesota Vikings a double-digit lead and they went on to beat the Detroit Lions 30-23 Thursday.
The Vikings (9-2) took a huge step toward winning the NFC North, taking a three-game lead over the second-place Lions.
Detroit (6-5) made mistakes in every phase of the game and Minnesota took advantage.
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been fined $12,154 by the NFL for his dog-like touchdown celebration last Sunday.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Case Keenum gave Minnesota a brilliant performance in relief of Sam Bradford, passing for three touchdowns and a career-high 369 yards without a turnover to guide the Vikings to a 34-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Stefon Diggs had 173 yards receiving and caught two of Keenum's throws for scores, one short and one long.
Dalvin Cook produced 169 total yards plus his first NFL touchdown, which capped a 75-yard drive by the Vikings (2-1) to start the game.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Xavier Rhodes was in his final season at Florida State in 2012, the scout team quarterback that fall was a redshirt with a big arm and bigger aspirations.
Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy the following year while leading the Seminoles to the national championship.
After one more season, he was off to the NFL as the first pick in the draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The success was hardly a surprise, born out of an innate self-assurance.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Xavier Rhodes has blossomed into one of the NFL's best cornerbacks, the natural choice for the Minnesota Vikings to cover the opponent's top wide receiver.
This weekend in Pittsburgh, Rhodes and the Vikings will have a particularly challenging matchup with Antonio Brown, the three-time first team All-Pro pick.
"He's a big play waiting to happen," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Adrian Peterson wore purple, the revered running back was naturally off limits for Minnesota's defense during practice.
"But now it's a must," Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes said. "You have to tackle him. It's going to be pretty fun."
Such will be the strange sight in Minnesota on Monday night, when Peterson lines up in the New Orleans backfield with his white, black and gold Saints jersey and his old friends eagerly eyeing him up from the other side.
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Xavier Rhodes arrived at Florida State as a skilled offensive player, a running back and wide receiver from the football-rich Miami area.
He was quickly switched to cornerback, and he didn't like it.
"At that moment, I thought I wasn't going to be here," Rhodes said. "It was a blessing that it happened. I was upset at first, but now I see the coaches saw something in me at corner. I trusted them. I believed. Now I'm here."