EAGAN, Minn. — A veteran cornerback is reuniting with a couple Vikings coaches.

Minnesota and free agent James Pierre on Monday agreed to terms on a deal that will rejoin the former Steelers cornerback with Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores and Defensive Passing Game Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander, the latter of whom recently came aboard Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's staff.

Pierre is 29 and has started 13 of 95 games across six NFL seasons, his best of which so far was 2025.

In 14 contests (five starts), the Deerfield Beach, Florida, native recorded 30 tackles and an interception, in addition to returning one fumble recovery for a 34-yard score, and defending a career-high 11 passes.

Analytics site Pro Football Focus gave Pierre an 88.9 coverage grade after he allowed 16 catches on 35 targets and an opponent passer rating of 57.2 over 255 coverage snaps, ranking first among defenders with at least 200 coverage opps. Overall, Pierre earned an 86.2 defensive grade; the only cornerback that played in multiple games and outscored Pierre was Super Bowl LX Champion Devon Witherspoon (90.1).

Pierre was signed by Pittsburgh in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic and spent his first six seasons in "The Steel City." He overlapped with Flores when the latter was Pittsburgh's Senior Defensive Assistant and Linebackers Coach in 2022; and Pierre was under Alexander's tutelage from 2022-23 — Alexander was the assistant DBs coach — and again in '25 when Alexander led the Steelers secondary.

Across his entire pro career, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Pierre is credited with permitting 71 receptions on 138 targets (51.4 percent), according to Pro Football Reference. He boasts four career interceptions, including one off his cousin Lamar Jackson in Pittsburgh's pivotal Week 14 win over Baltimore last season.

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