Free agents: Vikings' Mackensie Alexander cleared; did he play his way out?

Note: Ahead of free agency next week, when formal talks with other teams can begin March 16 before signings start March 18, we'll preview the reasons for and against re-signing the Vikings' top five unrestricted free agents and give you our projection.

No. 5: Will Vikings keep DE Stephen Weatherly in the plans?

No. 4: CB Mackensie Alexander

Mackensie Alexander could be headed elsewhere this month.

The Vikings' nickel cornerback is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next week, when the 26-year-old will seek a big payday. Good news is Alexander has been medically cleared, a league source recently told the Star Tribune, following January knee surgery to trim his meniscus. It's unclear if the cap-strapped Vikings have yet made an offer to Alexander, but the organization is bracing for the possibility of replacing all three starting cornerbacks in 2020.

"If it is that way, then we just have to do a good job keeping guys in there and making sure they can play," head coach Mike Zimmer said at the NFL scouting combine on Feb. 26. "We're not going to cry because we don't have some of those guys. Our job is to figure out how to get guys in there and get them to play."

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Reasons to re-sign

After rocky beginnings for the 2016 second-round pick, Alexander may have played his way out of Minnesota with a strong contract season ended abruptly. He missed both playoff games after he was one of a few primary contributors to play in the season finale loss to the Bears, doing so through the knee issue that ended his year prematurely. Only five NFL defenders played more than Alexander in slot coverage and allowed a stingier passer rating than the 85.7 on passes thrown his way. He may have been the NFL's best tackler from the slot. He led the Vikings with zero misses (an incredible jump after 15 whiffs in Years 2-3) and surrendered the fewest yards after the catch (94) among all slot corners in Weeks 1-16, according to Pro Football Focus, before playing through the knee injury against the Bears.

Reasons to move on

Alexander was not happy he played the season finale in which most Vikings starters rested, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Star Tribune at the time, marking the latest difference between him and the coaching staff. Alexander's growth has been credited often by Zimmer when discussing how well in 2018 and 2019 he settled into the starting slot role — a job Alexander initially fought with visions of starting outside. That confidence led to plays and could bring a decent payday. Last year's top free-agent slot corner, Justin Coleman, signed a four-year, $36 million with the Lions. Alexander has some competition, including pending free agents in Denver's Chris Harris Jr. and Pittsburgh's Mike Hilton, but it's likely his market will be too costly for the Vikings.

Projection

The Vikings typically re-sign core players entering their second NFL contracts well before this point. So while Alexander's trajectory is promising, indications are his payday will come elsewhere. The projection here is Alexander moves on from the Vikings after four seasons.