Zimmer Era Corner Snags His Next Contract, Lands with 4th NFL Team
Kris Boyd runs well and is a physical tackler. Sensibly enough, the depth defender has established a career as a key special teams contributor.
The Mike Zimmer era corner has landed a new deal in free agency, landing with his fourth NFL team. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson relayed the news: “#Jets agreed to deal with former #Texans corner Kris Boyd, a key special-teams contributor.”
Zimmer Era Corner Going to the Jets
Being a 7th-Round selection means that very little is guaranteed in the NFL. Boyd deserves credit for working hard to make a career for himself in the pros.
The 5’11”, 201-pound corner was brought into the NFL with the No. 217 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Across four seasons in Minnesota, Boyd played in 58 games while starting a half dozen. He picked up 95 tackles with the Vikings.
Add it all together and Mr. Boyd played 636 defensive snaps with the Vikings alongside 1,068 special team snaps.
Moving on from Minnesota meant going on a bit of an NFL journey.
Originally, Kris Boyd snagged some work with the Arizona Cardinals, making the final roster for the 2023 season. However, he was shown the door in October of that same year, prematurely cutting off his time in the desert.
Before October of 2023 was finished, Boyd had ventured over to Houston to join the Texans’ practice squad. He stuck around with Houston until the most recent offseason where he eventually opted to venture over to New York to become a Jet.
Lately, there has been connections aplenty between the teams under consideration. The Vikings employ former Texans like Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman; the Texans have Danielle Hunter hunting the AFC’s quarterbacks. In New York, former Viking Jamin Davis is competing to get onto the final roster.
During the 2024 season, Boyd was in the news for the wrong reason: pushing his special teams coach. He’s a fiery competitor, but that emotion obviously can’t spill over into being physical with a coach. Not a great moment from the corner.
The Vikings’ current offseason has featured a few nerves about the corner position. Thankfully, Byron Murphy Jr. was brought back to continue functioning as the CB1. Isaiah Rodgers got brought over from the Eagles and Mekhi Blackmon will be leaned on to elevate his game in his third season. Plus, former No. 3 pick Jeff Okudah visited with the team, so we’ll see if that leads to a deal.
Kris Boyd, 28, won’t be a guarantee to make the final roster. His ability to fly down the field in special teams coverage, though, will endear him to the special teams coordinator. Showing off some ability to function as a solid CB4/5 would enhance his chance of sticking around, as well.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference 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.
