If the Number is Accurate, The Vikings are Careening Toward a Breakup with Key Playmaker
The Vikings would like to retain Camryn Bynum. The homegrown talent has gone from mid-round selection who was experiencing growing pains in his position switch to impact defender and key playmaker.
Recently, ESPN dropped Mr. Bynum down at 16th in their list of top 25 free agents for 2025. Matt Bowen thinks Bynum is an improving talent: “An ascending player with centerfield range, Bynum has seen his value rise in Brian Flores’ defensive system in Minnesota. Over the past two seasons, he has 188 tackles, 5 interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He’s an interchangeable safety who can function and produce in multiple systems.”
Jeremy Fowler follows that blurb with his own, explaining that the price could get really high to retain the safety: “Minnesota has made efforts to extend Bynum, who is a natural successor to Harrison Smith as the Vikings’ leader in the secondary. Smith turns 36 in February. Five safeties make at least $16 million per year, and Bynum, whose value is rising after three interceptions and eight passes defensed this season, will look to become the sixth. The Vikings believe they are in a good place with him as far as a long-term working relationship.”
Both Bowen and Fowler make some good points. Does Bynum really soar up to $16 million per season, though?
The Vikings, Camryn Bynum, & The ’25 Offseason
Start off with an issue we’ve discussed in the past.
The real “successor” to Harrison Smith’s job rests in Josh Metellus, someone who better embodies the fantastic versatility that has made The Hitman such a great defender for so long. Mr. Metellus re-upped with the Vikings for a pair of seasons at just $8 million. That’s right: a two-year extension that’s coming with an average of just $4 million per season.
Knowing what you do about their current deployment, how do you feel about Bynum potentially commanding four times as much as Metellus? The former is rumored to ask for around $16 million/season whereas the latter is actually making $4 million/season.
Of course, the option exists that Minnesota could solve the problem by giving Mr. Metellus a raise. After all, the 2025 season is the final one on his deal. Maybe the 2025 offseason is the right time to adjust the deal via extension, potentially lowering his present-day cap hit while tacking on more years to his deal and giving him a well-deserved raise.
Even then, though, there’s the issue: how much money does Kwesi Adofo-Mensah want to sink into the safety position?
Generally speaking, it’s not overly difficult finding safeties. Elite QBs, edge rushers, and corners are hard to come by. A safety? A bit easier.
The aforementioned ESPN piece includes a pile of safety talent in the top 25. There’s Jevon Holland at No. 3, Budda Baker at No. 22, and Talanoa Hufanga at No. 24. The honorable mention section — titled “Others who could get paid” — includes Andre Cisco as another safety to watch. And that’s on top of Bynum finding his name at No. 16.
The glut of talent at the position makes it seem unlikely that Minnesota would hand over a multi-year deal that’s averaging $16 million or more. Would it make more sense to bump up Metellus’ pay by a bit, bring Theo Jackson back on a modest deal, and then elevate Jay Ward? There could even be an effort to sign another veteran and/or add more safety talent in the draft.
Oh, and the ship hasn’t totally sailed on Smith coming back. Yes, he’s ancient in NFL terms, but he can still play well.
According to Over the Cap, the NFL only has five safeties averaging $16 million or more. Kick the number down a bit further to $10 million or more per season. How many clear the cutoff? There are thirteen NFL safeties who clear that benchmark. Does Bynum deserve to make it fourteen? If so, then doesn’t Metellus, as well?
The trend since Adofo-Mensah took over has pointed toward seeking value at the position. Lewis Cine was added in the draft — a move that emphatically failed — and so, too, was Jay Ward added. Metellus got brought back on a value deal and Harrison Smith has been forced into multiple pay cuts. Add all those moves together and the picture that emerges is of a GM who seems quite reluctant to hand over major money to that spot.
Adofo-Mensah is a GM who values value. Underneath every deal should be a price and player that work well together, either by offering fair value or excess value for the team. Camryn Bynum at $16 million seems to be an enormous number that the Vikings won’t be enthused about hitting if the contract reaches that point.
Bynum, 26, will see his 27th birthday arrive on July 19th. He is sitting on 51 tackles, 3 interceptions, 8 passes defended, and 1 fumble recovery. QBs are completing just 51.9% of passes into his coverage and he has only allowed a single touchdown.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.