Passing on wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson's fifth-year option in the process, the Minnesota Vikings picked up the team options for their other two first-round picks in 2013, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd.
Floyd was the 23rd overall pick in the 2013 draft and Rhodes was selected 25th overall. Patterson was unable to consistently crack the starting lineup and contribute, and his roster spot could be in serious peril depending on how the Vikings' young depth chart shakes out this summer. After releasing Mike Wallace, the Vikings drafted Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell with the 23rd overall pick on Thursday and added German Mortiz Boehringer in the sixth round.
Retaining Patterson, who had 863 receiving yards in his first three seasons with the team, for the 2017 season would have cost the Vikings $7.9 million. He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2016 season.
The Vikings have drafted heavily for defensive talent in recent seasons. Including rookie cornerback Mackensie Alexander (second round, 2016), seven players on the defensive depth chart are home-grown products taken in the first two rounds since 2013.
Rhodes overcame a penchant for drawing penalty flags early in the 2016 season and he and Floyd were starters for a defense that finished fifth in scoring defense (19.3 points per game). Rhodes will make $8.026 million in 2017 and Floyd will be paid $6.757 million.
