Photo Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
The next few weeks will be chaotic for the Minnesota Vikings. Sam Darnold, Camryn Bynum, and Byron Murphy are about to become free agents. All three players have an argument to become one of the highest-paid players at their respective positions and were an integral part of a 14-win team last year.
During the previous regime, Rick Spielman would have asked Rob Brzezinski to perform Olympic-level gymnastics to fit everyone under the cap. Brzezinski would have to use void years, offset language, and signing bonuses to the fullest extent. Spielman would likely want to bring back the core of the best team since the Vikings went 15-1 in 1998 for another season.
That’s not how Kwesi Adofo-Mensah operates. He has a price in mind for each player. If the player exceeds it, he gives them his number and moves on. That’s not a terrible idea when it’s one or two players – like Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter.
However, when you have three such players, it calls for a different strategy.
Minnesota probably won’t use its $55.4 million in cap space to bring all three players back. It’s more likely they’ll pull a lever the Vikings rarely use. Therefore, the franchise tag could be Minnesota’s lifeline this offseason, but it will also require careful consideration of how to use it.
The NFL introduced the franchise tag in 1993 as a way for teams to keep players they consider important to the franchise. The tag gives the player a one-year deal worth the average of the top-five players at his position for the following season. That often leads to a tense negotiation, but it can also help a team extend the window to keep a player off the market.
However, the Vikings have only used the franchise tag three times in team history. They tagged Jim Kleinsasser in 2003, Chad Greenway in 2011, and Anthony Harris in 2020.
Kleinsasser played on the tag for a year but signed a five-year, $15 million contract with Minnesota the following offseason.
Greenway was more of a traditional tag situation. The two sides worked out a five-year, $41 million contract that was the final big-money deal of his career.
Then there was Harris, who was in a similar situation to Greenway. A former undrafted free agent, Harris had outplayed his contract and was looking to cash in on the market. Looking to capture some value in a trade, the Vikings tagged Harris but couldn’t find a partner. Minnesota retained him, but his play declined, and he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles the following offseason.
When you look at Darnold, Murphy, and Bynum, you can see similarities in each of the three situations.
Darnold is the leader in the clubhouse to use the tag. His situation is a lot like Harris’. The former No. 3-overall pick in the 2018 draft was on career life support when he signed a one-year deal with the Vikings last spring. Nobody expected him to have the season he did, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. His projected cost skyrocketed into the $50 million range before a late-season collapse.
Spotrac projects Darnold to command an average salary of $40.1 million. Over The Cap estimates the franchise tag to be $41.3 million. Even if the Vikings want to tag Darnold to trade him, using the tag to extend their window seems like a no-brainer — until you remember Harris’ situation.
The Vikings tagged Harris without a trade partner, and tagging Darnold could lead to a similar result. If Darnold is on the team in 2025, it could create an awkward situation if J.J. McCarthy outplays him during training camp. It could also deprive the Vikings of money they could use to improve the roster.
That includes keeping Bynum. A fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft, Bynum worked his way into a locker-room leader in Minnesota. His football IQ helps make up for his lack of athleticism, and he’s a fan favorite due to his knack for recreating Disney Channel dance sets on a football field.
However, Bynum’s situation is more similar to Greenway’s. The Vikings want to keep him, but he may not be worth the $17.7 million Spotrac believes he could get on the open market. For a regime that has been hesitant about paying safeties, Bynum could chase money elsewhere, which is why the two sides haven’t been able to come up with a deal even as they’ve negotiated since last year’s training camp.
Could an extra few months get a deal done? Possibly. But that long negotiation period suggests they can’t find common ground.
That leaves Murphy as a logical candidate. On Monday, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert made headlines when he suggested the Vikings could tag him instead of Darnold, which makes more sense when you look at the player’s trajectory.
Murphy enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 and could command $22.1 million in free agency. Maybe the Vikings scoff at a top-dollar contract, but it could give them options going forward.
The Vikings could ask Murphy to prove it, taking the field and earning a hefty payday in 2026. However, Murphy is unlikely to agree to that entering his age-27 season. Minnesota could also use the window to work out a deal, much like the Vikings did with Kleinsasser many years ago.
It could also fit one piece of the puzzle so they can make their next move. If the Vikings use the tag on Darnold, Bynum and Murphy will probably be gone. If they use the tag on Murphy, they could try to bring back Bynum and vice versa.
Thanks to the franchise tag, it’s a situation that gets easier for the Vikings. Now it’s a matter of which player they want to use it on.
