Byron Murphy Jr. And the Inflated Contract
Carlton Davis, D.J. Reed, and Charvarius Ward quickly snatched big contracts elsewhere, leaving the Vikings in need of a real CB1 with only one option left. The good news was that Byron Murphy Jr. is familiar with the franchise after playing there for two seasons, and it was easy to re-sign him after handing him a significant raise, of course.
Byron Murphy Jr. And the Inflated Contract
The initial reports suggested an almost market-breaking deal of $22 million per season.
Tom Pelissero reported on the social media platform X: “The Vikings and Pro Bowl CB Byron Murphy agreed to terms on a monster three-year, $66 million contract — a $22M average per year, sources tell me and Ian Rapoport. Agent Zeke Sandhu of Klutch Sports negotiated the deal, which keeps Murphy in Minnesota after his breakout season.”
Well, those numbers were inflated, something agents like to do to make the deal look better.
On Tuesday, the official numbers were released, and suddenly, Murphy Jr. is no longer a top-five paid cornerback. It’s pretty much an average CB1 deal, in fact.
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling broke down the deal on X:
Terms of Byron Murphy’s deal with the Vikings:
$34.78M fully guaranteed ($18M SB, $16.78M in base guarantees 25-26)
2025: $1.42M base (g’td), $510K per-game rosters, $100K workout
2026: $15.36M base (g’td), $510K per-game rosters, $100k workout
2027: $17.39M baseVoid years from 2028-30. $4M each year in incentives (based on INTs and NFL awards)
2025 cap hit: $6.94M
That was the complex version, now the easy one: Murphy Jr. agreed to a three-year contract worth $54 million, resulting in an average salary of $18 million per season. In addition to that, he can earn an extra $12 million in incentives, which would give him the full $66 million.
The exact parameters of the incentives are currently unknown, but he had incentives in his old contract that included a raise for a Pro Bowl nomination and making the All-Pro teams. Of course, if that is the case, nobody will bat an eye about the increased salary and be happy about having a good cornerback instead.
His annual rate of $18 million ranks him 13th in the NFL and is the same number fellow free agents Carlton Davis, Paulson Adebo, and Charvarius Ward signed for.
Minnesota’s cornerback room now looks like a solid unit.
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Dwight McGlothern
- NaJee Thompson
- Reddy Steward
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Nahshon Wright
- Ambry Thomas
Depending on how good they feel about Blackmon, who is returning from a missed season with an ACL, and Isaiah Rodgers, who is coming off a Super Bowl triumph but has never been a full-time starter, the franchise could (or should) be in the market for another cornerback.
Murphy Jr. got a substantial raise after his Pro Bowl season, but it is not quite as large as first reported.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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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