Vikings notes: Rhodes made big step under Zimmer

Xavier Rhodes approached Mike Zimmer after the Vikings' 13-9 victory over the Bears on Sunday, and the cornerback's encounter later would have his head coach choked up at the podium.

"Xavier came up to me and said, 'Thanks for everything,' helping him get good," Zimmer said while pausing a multiple times to compose himself. "He's got a chance to be a really good football player, and he's going to progress more with the mental aspect of the game."

Rhodes chuckled when he first heard Zimmer got emotional, but the two have drawn close since the spring, when it was common to see Zimmer hammering on Rhodes.

"Me and him did build a relationship," Rhodes said. "Since camp, he's been on me really hard. If y'all were out there, y'all can see how much he was yelling at me, cursing and stuff. I just took the coaching, and I played how he wanted me to play. He just let me go sometimes, and I had a great year."

Rhodes finished with 18 pass breakups and recorded his first career interception. The quiet cornerback never has dealt with such a blunt coach but adjusted to Zimmer's strong style of coaching.

"I was determined to get right, and I knew what he wanted out of me instead of just looking at the things he was doing, the words, and how he was [talking] at me," Rhodes said. "I looked at the bigger picture when he was doing that.

"After a while you see his intentions. After you notice that, he's not really attacking me. He just sees potential in me."

"The emotional part is saying goodbye to a lot of people," Ponder said. "I feel like I've built some great relationships with people the past four years, and this has been my comfort and a place I've called home. So it's tough to leave, but I'm excited about new beginnings."

The 12th overall pick in 2011 never developed into the franchise quarterback the Vikings hoped.

"It was an interesting one," Ponder said of his tenure. "It was up and down for sure. It was a dream come true for me to be able to get drafted and play, and I want to thank [owner] Zygi [Wilf] and the whole Wilf family and [General Manager] Rick [Spielman] for giving me that chance. I enjoyed it."

Cordarrelle Patterson had a disappointing second season, but vowed Monday to take "full advantage of the offseason."

Patterson finished with 33 catches for 384 yards and a touchdown in a season which he was demoted.

Bridgewater will spend his offseason in Miami, and he wants to bring his Vikings receivers down to the Sunshine State.

"I've been talking to the group, just telling those guys I want to get them down there for at least a week or two and get some time together," Bridgewater said. "It doesn't all have to be football. We can just hang out and just continue to develop that chemistry on and off the field, and that goes a long way."

• Assistant receivers coach/quality control Klint Kubiak has accepted a position as the receivers coach at Kansas. The son of former Texans coach Gary Kubiak spent the past two seasons with the Vikings.

• Cris Carter tweeted his son, CFL wide receiver Duron Carter, will meet with the Vikings on Jan. 9. Duron Carter, who spent rookie minicamp with the Vikings in 2013, reportedly has drawn interest from a number of NFL teams.