On Monday night, the Vikings gave their biggest deal of free agency so far to the cornerback they’d made their highest priority. The team agreed to a new deal with Byron Murphy Jr. that’s reportedly worth $66 million over three years, which would make him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league and follow a trend of megadeals for corners on the first day of the free-agent negotiating period.
Byron Murphy Jr. secures lucrative deal with the Vikings on a big day for free-agent cornerbacks
Re-signing their top cornerback was the Vikings' highest priority as the free agent negotiating period began Monday.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 11, 2025 at 3:23AM
The 27-year-old Murphy, who intercepted six passes and made his first Pro Bowl in his contract year, followed Jaycee Horn’s four-year, $100 million deal with the Panthers and surpassed Charvarius Ward’s $60 million deal over three years with the Colts.
The Vikings had pushed back the void date on Murphy’s contract to Tuesday, giving them more time to work on a deal with the cornerback even as he appeared set to land a big deal in free agency. By average annual value, he became the highest-paid corner in Vikings history.
He’ll work with Isaiah Rodgers, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Vikings earlier Monday, as part of a secondary that will take on a different look in 2025.
Safety Camryn Bynum departed for a four-year, $60 million deal with the Colts, with $32 million guaranteed and an $18 million signing bonus.
Bynum was drafted by the Vikings in the fourth round, No. 125 overall, in 2021. Over four seasons, he intercepted eight passes, forced three fumbles and became known for his choreographed celebrations after takeaways.
After safety Theo Jackson agreed to a new deal to stay with the Vikings on Thursday, Bynum’s return seemed unlikely.
Cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore are also free agents, and it’s still unknown whether veteran safety Harrison Smith plans on returning for the 2025 season.
Rodgers played 15 games in 2024 for the Super Bowl champion Eagles, starting three, after being suspended in 2023 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. He recovered four fumbles for the Colts in 2022, and picked off three passes in 2021.
Rodgers gets a $4.875 million signing bonus from the Vikings, as well as a fully-guaranteed base salary of $1.125 million for 2025. In 2026, he gets a $4.4 million base, with $2 million fully guaranteed. He can make $30,000 for each game he’s on the active roster (up to $510,000) for the season, and earn a $50,000 workout bonus. He has up to $2 million in annual incentives, based on playing time and NFL Honors awards. His 2025 cap number should be $3.563 million.
The Vikings also signed safety Bubba Bolden on Monday. He spent time with the Browns in recent seasons but has not played any game snaps at the pro level.
The Vikings have been eyeing upgrades on the defensive line and hosted free-agent defensive tackle Jonathan Allen on Monday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, according to a league source.
Allen, the 2017 first-round pick by the Washington Commanders, was released last week after the team attempted to trade the 30-year-old Pro Bowler in a cost-cutting move. He has been one of the league’s best all-around interior defenders with 60 tackles for losses and 42 sacks in his career – most coming in a six-year span from 2018-2023, in which he started at least 15 games annually.
Last year, Allen missed nine games because of a torn pectoral muscle but returned to play in the final two games of the season.
Edge rusher Pat Jones II, who had seven sacks for the Vikings last season, agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $20 million with the Carolina Panthers on Monday.
Emily Leiker and Andrew Krammer of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.
Day 2 of the free-agent negotiating period began with the Vikings adding two-time Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Allen to their defensive line and guard Will Fries to their offensive line. Quarterback Daniel Jones chose the Colts over the VIkings.
