MANKATO, Minn. -- Harrison Smith has been paid. So has Everson Griffen, and now Xavier Rhodes as well. In the past 13 months, in fact, the Minnesota Vikings have committed $103 million in guaranteed money to secure three key defensive players.
The outlay, which almost certainly will swell further in the coming year, puts numbers and tangible data on what had been a subjective observation: This is a defense stocked with talented players. Rhodes, Smith and Griffen are all among the highest-paid players at their positions, and it's reasonable to think that teammates Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter could all follow suit after the season.