According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jeff Okudah has agreed to a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings, making this his fourth team as he enters his sixth NFL season.
Okudah joins Tavierre Thomas and Isaiah Rodgers as the third defensive back signed by Minnesota since 2025 free agency began. The Vikings also retained secondary players Byron Murphy Jr. and Theo Jackson.
Last season with the Houston Texans, Okudah played in just six games, missing nine due to a hip injury. He ended the season with nine tackles and one pass defended.
The 26-year-old cornerback is well known to Michigan football fans, having been drafted No. 3 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Since joining the league, Okudah has struggled with injuries that have limited his availability.
During his rookie training camp, a hamstring injury sidelined him for Week 1, and later a core muscle injury cut his season to just nine games.
In the next season’s opener against the 49ers, Okudah suffered a ruptured Achilles, ending his year.
His best NFL season came in 2022, his third and last with Detroit, when he recorded 73 tackles, one forced fumble, and his first and only career interception.
Before the 2023 NFL Draft, the Lions traded Okudah to the Falcons for a fifth-round pick.
Due to injuries and inconsistency, Okudah is often considered one of the biggest draft busts in Lions history, especially since he was the top-ranked corner in his class—a group that included two-time Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears.