After Landing $54M Payday, Vikings Veteran Shifts from Sizzling to Slumping
Vikings veteran Byron Murphy Jr. earned a strong payday following his Pro Bowl 2024.
The versatile corner tossed up a career-high 6 interceptions alongside a career-high 14 passes defended. Murphy then had a career-high 81 tackles alongside a career-high 6 tackles for loss. Minnesota paid for those numbers, handing over a three-year deal for $54 million. So far, Murphy hasn’t been good enough for the Vikings, contributing to the meltdown that’s unfolding on a weekly basis.
A Vikings Veteran is Failing to Fulfill Contract Expectations
J.J. McCarthy has been so blindingly incompetent that other Vikings aren’t earning as much criticism.
Per PFF, the drop off in play for Byron Murphy has been dramatic. Last season’s grade came in at a very healthy 73.4, good for 22nd in the NFL. Essentially, a low-end CB1. He’s currently earning a 52.9 grade, placing him at 90th. That’s a CB3 grade, suggesting that he’s just barely a starter and one who could get picked on when tasked with playing.
Mr. Murphy should be the glue that holds the secondary together.
Quick and agile, Murphy can offer snaps as a boundary corner and slot corner. He has soaked up 491 snaps out wide and 112 in the slot. Not too many corners are capable of doing so. And then there’s the 57 snaps in the box alongside the 16 along the d-line.
Not blazing fast, Murphy is in town to hang with receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown. Cover the ferocious route runners all over the field, hindering their ability to shake loose. Leave the burners for Isaiah Rodgers, someone with all-world speed.
But while that plan has merit, the on-field reality has been poor.
As things stand, Byron Murphy is sitting on eleven starts within eleven games. He has played 686 defensive snaps, working out to 97% of the total for Brian Flores. Availability = check. The issue is the production isn’t there in the same way.
Murphy has offered 50 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 3 passes defended. If things continue on the current trajectory, Murphy will finish the season with 0 interceptions alongside 4 or 5 passes defended. Nowhere near the production Minnesota was hoping for after the beefy contract.
Truth be told, Byron Murphy isn’t alone.
One could argue that all of Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, Harrison Smith, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and others aren’t living up to their deals. These individual shortcomings are coalescing to undermine the Vikings’ season, at least in part. Teams seldom get in trouble for paying great money for great play; there’s ample danger, however, for the team that pays great money for average play.
Next up for Murphy is a battle against Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is shredding the NFL. Intercepting former teammate Sam Darnold a time or two would go a long way in securing the road upset.
