Of the Vikings’ six main defensive backs last season, four are set to be unrestricted free agents next month and a fifth, Harrison Smith, could potentially retire.
With respect to Stephon Gilmore — who is also considering retirement — and journeyman Shaq Griffin, the two most notable Vikings DBs who are pending free agents are Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and safety Camryn Bynum. Murphy has been very good since signing with Minnesota two years ago, while Bynum is a former fourth-round pick who has been a full-time starter for the entire Kevin O’Connell era.
Will either or both be back with the Vikings next season? The “sense,” says ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler in a new article, “is Murphy walks but Bynum could stay under a new deal.”
That’s interesting — and the opposite of what I had thought in a speculative article assigning a percent chance that each Vikings free agent returns to Minnesota.
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If I had to guess the logic behind Fowler’s insight, it would be that Murphy’s huge six-interception season will cause his price tag to be raised beyond what the Vikings are willing to pay. If a team decides to pay Murphy something like $20 million per year, putting him in the Denzel Ward/A.J. Terrell/Jaire Alexander range, Minnesota may not have any interest in matching that offer. The Vikings could pivot to other free agent or draft cornerback options alongside third-year player Mekhi Blackmon, who is coming off an ACL injury.
Meanwhile, there’s been some buzz that the Vikings and Bynum are open to getting a new contract done before he officially becomes a free agent in mid-March. That will obviously just depend on whether or not the two sides can agree on terms. Bynum is a rangy deep safety who fits well in Brian Flores’ scheme, but he’s also had PFF grades below 62 in two of his three seasons as a starter, including last season. That’s not to say that the Vikings shouldn’t be interested in keeping him around, but rather that it would have to be at the right price.
