1 Vikings Defender Is Hunting Incentives
The Minnesota Vikings have been much more successful than most thought before the season began. Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores have teamed up to be perhaps the best coaching duo in the NFL, uniting both sides of the ball to an excellent combination. Numerous players have been experiencing career years in 2024.
1 Vikings Defender Is Hunting Incentives
All the free-agent additions have helped the team, especially defenders Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jonathan Greenard. Of course, quarterback Sam Darnold has been excellent, too.
Last year’s class couldn’t match that kind of success, headlined by the injury-plagued defender Marcus Davenport and blocking specialist Josh Oliver. Cornerback Byron Murphy, however, has been outstanding in the 2024 campaign.
In addition to 61 tackles and a forced fumble, he has already secured six interceptions, including one in each of the past two games. His play last year was not bad at all, but more up and down than many hoped for when they saw him take over the CB1 spot.
Because he has been so productive in the 2024 season, he could be in line to get a major payday at the end of the year. His contract does include various incentives, as Joel Corry from CBS Sports explained.
First, there is a play-time incentive he can meet to generate some extra cash: “Murphy signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract worth up to $21.5 million through incentives in 2023. Taking 92.91% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps puts Murphy on track for his entire $1 million in playtime incentives. Murphy gets $250,000 for 70% or more defensive playtime. It’s another $250,000 for 75%, an extra $250,000 once he hits 80% and an additional $250,000 with playtime of 85% or more.”
Through the first 13 contests, Murphy has played 812 snaps on defense, equalling 93% of Minnesota’s reps. He is sharing the position with former DPOY Stephon Gilmore, and veteran Shaq Griffin enters the game when Flores needs a third CB in the lineup.
The position’s upgrade has been a major factor in the defense’s improvement. Murphy’s play makes him a realistic candidate to get some love in the annual season honors like Pro Bowl and All-Pro, which would up his pay even further, Corry clarified:
“There are also $1 million of honors incentives. Murphy is having a terrific contract year. Leading NFC cornerbacks with six interceptions gives Murphy a legitimate chance of earning $250,000 for being selected to the Pro Bowl. It’s $500,000 instead for being named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. The entire $1 million is for first-team All-Pro honors by the AP.”
Out of those honors, the Pro Bowl is the easiest to get to. According to fan votes, he is currently the leading cornerback among NFC players. Those will be added to the votes from coaches and players.
All-Pro is more tricky as he will compete with the defenders from the AFC, including guys like Pat Surtain II.
Regardless, if a player is collecting interceptions almost at a weekly rate and is the top cornerback of an elite defense, making an All-Pro team can’t be ruled out entirely.
After the season, the Vikings need to make sure to extend Murphy’s contract. At the age of 26 (he will turn 27 in January), he should have a few seasons left in the tank. However, his contract is set to expire and needs to be re-upped. His play in the 2024 season will surely raise his demands.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt