New Cornerback Enters Vikings Trade Rumor Mill

The 2026 Minnesota Vikings have much more cornerback depth than the 2025 club, but according to Bleacher Report, new general manager Nolan Teasley should be in the market for one more — ideally, Kansas City Chiefs corner Kristian Fulton.

BR’s Moe Moton found one player per team to target for each NFL squad, and for Minnesota, that’s evidently the Chiefs’ veteran defender.

A Late-Round Gamble Could Strengthen Vikings’ Cornerback Depth

Moton: Vikings Should Trade for Fulton

Minnesota probably needs an extra EDGE defender or backup guard per roster need at the moment, but Moton recommended Fulton.

He explained this week, “Minnesota Vikings: Trade a late 2027 pick for Kansas City Chiefs CB Kristian Fulton. Aside from Byron Murphy Jr., the Vikings’ cornerback group is highly questionable with Isaiah Rodgers and James Pierre in line for big roles.”

“Rodgers had a decent 2025 campaign, allowing an 88.2 passer rating in coverage. Pierre only has 13 career starts. Minnesota should add veteran insurance to cover the boundary when Murphy lines up in the slot.”

Fulton entered the NFL as a 2nd-Rounder in 2020 — the day after Justin Jefferson — and was on the Vikings’ radar at the time, at least per the mock draft community. Minnesota instead picked 1st-Rounder Jeff Gladney.

“Fulton could be serviceable in that role. Last year, he only appeared in eight games but allowed a solid 81.7 passer rating in coverage,” Moton continued.

“The 27-year-old may be behind L’Jarius Sneed and Nohl Williams on the Chiefs’ depth chart. With 53 career starts, Fulton could take on a prominent role on the perimeter in nickel packages or provide quality depth.”

Fulton was a teammate of the aforementioned Jefferson at LSU.

The Career So Far for Fulton

For starters, here’s Fulton’s career resume:

• Tennessee Titans (2020–2023)
• Los Angeles Chargers (2024)
• Kansas City Chiefs (2025–now)

Fulton’s six-year NFL career has been largely unremarkable compared to his original draft stock. In 65 games, including 53 starts, he has recorded five interceptions and 38 pass breakups. However, he has also surrendered 2,346 yards and 17 touchdowns in coverage, far from the production of a “shutdown corner.”

His most effective season was 2021, when opposing quarterbacks achieved a 75.3 passer rating against him, and he secured two interceptions. Pro Football Focus awarded him a 66.2 coverage grade that year.

Since then, his performance has declined. In 2023, he allowed a 129.3 passer rating and three touchdowns, resulting in a coverage grade of 46.9. While a move to Los Angeles offered some improvement, he still gave up six touchdowns in 2024 and finished with a 66.6 coverage grade.

Kansas City utilized him sparingly in 2025, with only 208 defensive snaps. He allowed eight catches on 16 targets and received an overall grade of 60.4 from PFF.

Fulton’s experience suggests he can serve as a backup corner and potentially fill in as a starter if necessary. Nevertheless, his career trajectory indicates he is an average player who never developed into the reliable outside starter, as was the best-case scenario back in 2020.

The Vikings’ CBs at the Moment

Do the Vikings need a cornerback? Not really, unless one is analyzing the depth chart from a long-term angle. Minnesota hasn’t successfully drafted a cornerback of any kind with staying power in a decade; before too long, it will need to change that habit in the draft.

As a whole, though, the Vikings’ current cornerback corps is deeper than most summers:

Murphy Jr., Rodgers, Pierre, and Demmings will easily make the 53-man roster at the end of August. The rest are mysteries.

Acquiring Fulton, per the Moton recommendation, would make the CB room run five men deep and probably put Demmings, a rookie, in line for a redshirt season.

For a Late-Round Pick, Why Not?

It’s debatable whether the Vikings should take the plunge for a fourth or fifth cornerback. It feels like a conversation to have if a starting cornerback gets hurt and is lost for the season at training camp or in the preseason — like Mekhi Blackmon in 2024.

Still, sending a 6th- or 7th-Rounder to Kansas City for a decent performer isn’t the worst idea. Fulton will be a free agent in eight months, and the Vikings would have to cover about $10 million of his 2026 salary if traded. Teasley has approximately $13 million in cap space in mid-July. Late-round picks rarely amount to much. Fulton would at least serve as insurance for the 2026 campaign.

He’ll turn 28 in September.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker