NFL insider gives a sense of where Vikings stand when it comes to one of their biggest free agent decisions
Free agency has been where Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah cooks. Last year, Adofo-Mensah signed three Pro Bowl players: QB Sam DarnoldEDGE Jonathan GreenardEDGE Andrew Van Ginkel Free agency has been Adofo-Mensah's calling card, as it has been incredibly fruitful for the Vikings. Adofo-Mensah and his staff have been excellent at identifying talent and […]
Free agency has been where Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah cooks. Last year, Adofo-Mensah signed three Pro Bowl players:
- QB Sam Darnold
- EDGE Jonathan Greenard
- EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel
Free agency has been Adofo-Mensah's calling card, as it has been incredibly fruitful for the Vikings. Adofo-Mensah and his staff have been excellent at identifying talent and giving them the right contract. When you have Rob Brzezinski as your salary cap guru, it's much easier.
Vikings potential free agency decisions loom large
The biggest factor in fortifying the Vikings' defense will be how they handle the secondary. Sure, what they do with quarterback Sam Darnold is going to get the attention, but the Vikings theoretically will be good at quarterback no matter what.
The two major players in the secondary that the Vikings could re-sign are cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and safety Camryn Bynum. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler's latest update on what those around the league think will happen in free agency and it paints quite an interesting picture while placing the Vikings in the "Need a Postseason Breakthrough" tier.
How Minnesota allocates its healthy cap trove will be worth monitoring this offseason. The big question: Do the Vikings pay Sam Darnold? They haven't made a firm determination on this, but many around the league see them starting over with J.J. McCarthy if a new suitor prices Darnold out of Minnesota. Like with Kirk Cousins, the Vikings won't mortgage their future on a free agent quarterback contract. Several free agents — Byron Murphy II, Camryn Bynum, Cam Robinson, Aaron Jones — could get cushy deals elsewhere, but GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has shown adaptability in adding new talent. (A prime example is last season's pass-rush duo of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.) In the secondary, the sense here is Murphy walks but Bynum could stay under a new deal.
The sense that Fowler gets with Murphy and Bynum is quite interesting. Murphy was a starter in the Pro Bowl Games and had a banner season with six interceptions. Bringing him back should be a priority and it's interesting that Fowler believes he will leave.
The reason why could be rooted in money. Murphy is likely to get a contract in the $17-20 million range. With how the Vikings have been calling their defense, they might not want to spend that kind of money on a cornerback.
The other intriguing factor here is the expectation Bynum could sign a new contract. Fowler revealed two weeks ago that the Vikings and Bynum have had discussions about a new contract.
It would be interesting to see Bynum get a big contract, especially if it's in the neighborhood of what Xavier McKinney got last year ($17 million AAV). Bynum doesn't have next-level athleticism, which would make giving him that kind of contract somewhat of a risk.
Time will tell whether or not these come into play.
