Pricey Vikings Corner Turned Away All Suitors
Like Penelope staying faithful to Odysseus, Byron Murphy Jr. wanted to stay true to the Vikings.
The pricey Vikings corner surely could have landed some good money on the open market back in March. Still only 27, Murphy is coming off a Pro Bowl season where he plucked 6 interceptions out of the sky while being moved around Brian Flores’ secondary. The plan all along, however, was to stick around to keep patrolling the skies for the Vikings.
Pricey Vikings Corner Byron Murphy Wanted MIN
Yes, all of the attention is on the draft, so we’ll get to that topic soon. First, though, consider what the free-agent re-addition had to say in his press conference from Monday.
“Obviously, going through the process with my agent,” Murphy explained, “that’s why I was giving him the messages the whole time. This is where I want to be. Obviously this is where I’ve been my best, I feel like, as a player and even off the field as a man, as well.”
The corner said there was “no doubt” he was going to stick with the Vikings.
Originally a Cardinal, Murphy ventured to the NFC North during the 2023 offseason as one of the main pickups from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah during that free agency period.
Very quickly, the two-year, $17.5 million deal looked like a bargain. Murphy got involved in fourteen games in his debut season in Minnesota, putting up 57 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 13 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. The advanced stats on PFR indicate that he allowed 67.3% of passes into his coverage to be completed while getting dinged with allowing 6 scores.
Without question, Byron Murphy Jr. took a step forward last season. He played all seventeen games, corralling passers to a 65.5% completion rate while allowing 4 touchdowns. He put up 81 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, 14 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble. Eliminate the FF stat and we’re talking about career-best numbers across the board.
Note, as well, that PFF bumped his grade from 58.0 in 2023 to 72.8 in 2024. Yet again, we’re talking about a career-best number — the 72.8 grade — from Murphy. He mostly played along the outside, picking up 643 snaps in that spot while also snagging 307 snaps in the slot.
The Vikings corner is officially back, working on a three-year contract that’s sitting at $54 million. Not a bad raise, eh? That’s what will happen when someone proves capable of operating as a solid CB1, is still only 27, and has earned the trust/respect of the top decision makers for his leadership.
Now, as for the draft implication. Securing Murphy — which is to say nothing of doing the deals for external talent like Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah — gave Minnesota the assurance that they didn’t need to force a selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
At No. 24, the Vikings opted to bring Donovan Jackson to town (a decision that has some implications for the roster). Notably, some well-respected corner talent was still available. Minnesota, quite possibly, will snag a corner with their next selection, but that remains to be seen.
Clearly, there’s some confidence in the in-house options, with Byron Murphy standing out as the the clear top option.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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 (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.