Is Byron Murphy Jr. Pricing Himself Out of Minnesota?
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings were up 35-21 against the Atlanta Falcons with 6:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Falcons were at Minnesota’s 25-yard line, threatening to put the game within one score. But when Kirk Cousins dropped back and took a shot toward Kyle Pitts near the end zone, Byron Murphy Jr. made an acrobatic one-handed catch that drove the crowd wild.
Byron Murphy with one hand for the pick!
📺: #ATLvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/14WbgFW1uR— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
Murphy’s sixth interception of the season wound up sealing the game and securing Minnesota its 11th win of the season. Afterward, “Movin’ The Chains” host Jim Miller asked Murphy if his familiarity with Cousins helped with game preparation, and his answer revealed how much savvy he (and the rest of the defense) possesses.
“That came as a part of it as well. Obviously, we had Kirk here, so we knew he’d go through all of his progressions and all that type of stuff,” Murphy said on SiriusXM. “But that kind of just helped us on the defensive side knowing techniques, knowing the ball is gonna be out fast and all those things Kirk did while he was here.”
Back in August, we touched on whether or not the Vikings should extend Murphy before the start of the 2024 season. At the time, the cornerback was coming off an underwhelming 2023 campaign. He finished that year with a 58.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade, which was the second-lowest of his professional career. Although extending Murphy at that time carried a lot of risk, the Vikings had an opportunity to retain a CB with a solid track record on a team-friendly deal. We’re seeing the downside of waiting to extend him now, because with Murphy’s strong play as of late, he might be pricing himself out of Minnesota.
As it turns out, Minnesota’s front office tried to get an extension done during the offseason. According to Murphy himself, the Vikings approached him in negotiations, but when they couldn’t come to terms on the number, he decided to just bet on himself as a pending free agent. Thus far, it looks like his gamble will pay off tremendously.
Murphy’s six picks on the season put him in the lead among his position group. Not only that, but Murphy has been peaking at the right time, recording an interception in five of his last seven games. He was particularly great on Sunday, with a 76.4 PFF grade that was the highest among the regulars on Minnesota’s defense.
As great as that is for Murphy and the Vikings’ defense in the short term, there is a sense this partnership might not be built to last into 2025. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has built a reputation for being a tough negotiator who isn’t afraid to let a player test the market if they demand more money than he’s willing to give out.
In regards to maintaining leverage in negotiations, Kwesi was once quoted saying: “It’s always about walkaway prices, and walkaway prices, to me, are meaningful because it’s another action. Your only leverage in the negotiation is your willingness to do something else. So I’ve gotta say, I will not do this because I would rather do these three other things and make our team better.” Put it this way: if Mike McCartney, Kirk Cousins’ superagent, wasn’t even able to gain leverage over Kwesi, then it’s hard to believe that Murphy will pressure him into an unfavorable deal.
And Murphy’s price point might be unfavorable by definition. Murphy and his camp believe that he’ll have a large market for his services come free agency, and for good reason. Throughout his time in Arizona and Minnesota, he’s established himself as one of the NFL’s best slot corners. At 26 years old, he’s in the middle of his prime, which means this is the best opportunity he’ll have in his career to get a big-time contract extension.
On the other hand, the Vikings are projected to have over $78 million in cap space in 2025. If Minnesota’s front office wants to keep Murphy around, they certainly have the resources to make that happen. Not to mention, Murphy has expressed his desire to stay with the Vikings long-term.
“I don’t think I’m going anywhere. That’s my mindset,” Murphy said. “I want to stay here. I love this place. Like I said since I’ve been here, since Day 1, I fell in love. So I don’t want to go nowhere. I want to stay here for the rest of my career. Love these guys in the locker room. Love the culture, everything about this place is great. So I’m gonna try to work my ass off to stay here for sure.”
It’s clear that Murphy and the Vikings’ front office both want him to stay in Minnesota. At the same time, this is the cornerback’s best chance of getting a contract that will provide generational wealth to him and his family. He almost has to max out his earning potential on the open market, which means the decision is going to come down to Kwesi’s final walkaway price. And the more Murphy plays at this high level, the greater chance there is that Murphy will have to suit up elsewhere in 2025.
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