One Viking Made a Large Chunk of Cash for Strong Performance in 2023
Inevitably, there are players in the NFL who far outperform the amount of money that they are paid on an annual basis.
One way that the league tries to rectify that is through a performance-based amount of pay handed out to players annually. There was one Viking who was amongst the league leaders in that category during the 2023 season: safety Camryn Bynum.
One Viking Made Large Chunk of Extra Cash in 2023
Adam Schefter of ESPN released a list of the top-25 earners of performance-based salary from this past season. At the very top of the list was Ravens guard John Simpson, who earned $974,613 for starting all 17 games and performing rather well, allowing just one sack in pass protection over 1118 snaps played, per PFF.
As a result of his play, Simpson was able to earn a two-year, $12 million contract with the New York Jets in free agency this spring and will look to help keep Aaron Rodgers upright during the 2024 campaign.
Bynum, who quietly ended up being one of the better free safeties in the entire NFL last season, earned a total of $785,489 in performance-based salary this past year, which nearly equaled the $940,000 in total cash he was set to be paid by the Vikings. Bynum placed 15th on the list. Take a look:
This comes after Bynum saw his base salary for the 2024 season increase from $1.05 million to $3.116 million by way of the proven performance escalator.
Bynum was selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of the University of California. After playing much of his collegiate career at the cornerback spot, Minnesota opted to transition him to the safety spot. He largely spent his rookie season with the special teams, but he made three starts on defense, recording a sack, three passes defended, and an interception.
After the Vikings parted ways with Xavier Woods following that 2021 season, it offered Bynum a chance to step into a full-time starting role in 2022. Bynum played every single snap with the defense during that season, but he struggled in coverage. Among all 75 safeties to play at least 500 snaps in 2022, Bynum’s PFF grade of ranked 58th.
However, Bynum turned into one of the better safeties in the NFL under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. He was PFF’s 11th-highest graded safety among 78 players at the position with a minimum of 500 snaps. He proved to be much better in pass coverage and remained a strong presence in run defense as well.
The Vikings managed to keep the entirety of their safety room intact for the 2024 season, so another strong year should be expected from Bynum. For now, this is set to be the final year of his contract before he enters free agency unless Minnesota offers him a contract extension.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
