Vikings Getting Down to 11th Hour to Complete a Major Item on the Checklist
Most of the offseason featured a key assumption: 27-year-old corner Byron Murphy Jr. would continue calling Minnesota home.
He has been the Vikings’ CB1 for these past two seasons and is still within the prime of his career. Even better, he possesses the coveted versatility that Kevin O’Connell and especially Brian Flores value so highly. Making the situation even more pressing is that corner is a major need in Minnesota, making the reunion seem supremely likely. Well, legal tampering starts in mere hours and Mr. Murphy is still unsigned.
Vikings Down to 11th Hour with Byron Murphy Jr.
Making matters more concerning is that a report has emerged indicating that the corner is willing to test free agency.
Consider the update from Jordan Schultz: “Sources: While Minnesota wants him back, free agent CB Byron Murphy is poised to hit the open market on Monday when the legal tampering period begins, and he’s anticipated to have a strong market. The 27-year-old is coming off a Pro Bowl season and has totaled nine interceptions over the last two years with the #Vikings.”
No doubt, losing Mr. Murphy would sting.
There are several corners currently on the offseason roster, the most notable of whom being Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern. Both of these players offer promise and yet one is going into his third year coming off of a missed season due to a torn ACL (Blackmon) and the other is going into his sophomore season after being scooped up as an UDFA (McGlothern). In other words, success isn’t guaranteed for either.
Retaining Murphy would go a long way toward solidifying the secondary. Still only 27, Murphy has six seasons of NFL experience. More importantly, he possesses the coveted versatility that Brian Flores loves in his defenders. The cherry on top is that Murphy can make plays on the football, showing excellent hands and a great ability/timing to high-point the pigskin.
Byron Murphy started all seventeen games last season. He had 81 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, and 14 passes defended. All of those statistics represent career highs.
A large part of what makes Murphy so valuable is his ability to move all over the defensive backfield. Last season, Flores tasked Murphy with lining up as an outside corner for 643 snaps and as a slot corner for 307 snaps. The 2023 season involved Flores putting Murphy along the outside for 596 snaps and in the slot for 214 snaps.
Not every corner can do that, folks. Murphy is a very good player who has a unique ability.
Originally, Byron Murphy came to Minnesota on a two-year deal that had a total of $17.5 million in compensation. Safe to say that he has earned a major raise, but it remains to be seen if that will arrive with the Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
