The Minnesota Vikings have 25 players set to hit free agency in some form in 2025, and one of the most significant is free safety Camryn Bynum.
Bynum is in the final year of his four-year, $4.1 million rookie contract. He was a cornerback in college before becoming a fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft. Bynum has started every game for the Vikings at safety since the 2022 season.
As the Vikings’ storybook season continues, Bynum is enjoying the ride with his teammates.
“BEST CELEBRATIONS IN THE LEAGUE,” Bynum posted on X along with a clip of the latest group act from the Vikings’ defense to go viral.
Bynum also shared a behind-the-scenes clip of the Vikings practicing the routine. It is an apparent not to the 2008 musical, “Camp Rock”
Bynum logged 6 combined tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass deflection in the Vikings’ win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. The 26-year-old safety is up to 85 total stops, 10 deflections, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery through 16 weeks.
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Bynum entered the week third on the Vikings in snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Only Harrison Smith, and cornerback Byron Murphy who is also a free agent have played more than Bynum. Smith is 35 years old and is a retirement risk.
Murphy will be a free agent like Bynum. However, Bynum’s production might not outweigh the Vikings’ philosophy on roster building.
If it comes down to an either-or situation for the Vikings, Murphy could win out.
“I would think Murphy [gets a new contract] more so than Bynum. Just – they need corners. None of them are signed. Akayaleb Evans, I think, is the only one signed for next year,” Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling said on the “Access Vikings” podcast in November. “[Mekhi] Blackmon, they expect to be back. I think they’ll be excited about him. But you’re going to have to get him back from an ACL, and he’s going to have to become a starter – if they go that route.”
“I could see them saying, ‘No, we need a veteran presence,’” Goessling said. “Murphy has 4 picks. He’ll probably be expensive. But I think the value of a corner is probably more than a deep safety. Even if the deep safety is extremely well-liked, and plays a lot, and has great celebrations, and made all of that stuff. He fits. He’s been great in the role that he’s had, and there’s been times you see him get beaten coverage. But independent of that, I just think if you’re spending money on one of those two spots, the corner is going to be where they prioritize it.”
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The Vikings could have a need on the backend if Bynum leaves. The “Access Vikings” crew suggested Theo Jackson could assume Bynum’s role if the latter signs with another team in free agency.
But Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder predicts the Vikings will be “big players” in the safety market. Holder suggests Julian Blackmon of the Indianapolis Colts as a replacement for Bynum.
“Blackmon could be a good target on the open market since he has experience playing in the box and as a deep safety,” Holder wrote on December 9. “The 26-year-old who turns 27 in August has also been pretty productive over the last two years with 158 total tackles, six interceptions and 11 passes defended in 27 games during that time frame.”
Blackmon a third-round pick by the Colts in 2020.
He has played both deep safety and in the box, which could offer the Vikings more flexibility than Bynum. Blackmon is on a one-year, $3.7 million contract with $7.9 million in career earnings, per Over The Cap. He completed a four-year, $4.5 million pact, re-signing during the 2024 offseason.
