The Minnesota Vikings‘ 2025 offseason has many moving parts with 11 notable contributors poised to reach free agency.
While the Vikings should push to retain their internal talent that’s driven an 8-2 start to the 2024 season, the cost analysis of re-signing a player versus a more affordable replacement or a potential upgrade must be considered.
Fourth-year safety Cam Bynum is arguably the toughest decision for Minnesota.
Known for his viral celebrations, Bynum’s play precedes his dance moves. He is third on the team in tackles, second in interceptions and tied for first in pass deflections.
ESPN ranked Bynum the No. 16 free agent in the upcoming class and the No. 2 safety behind only Miami Dolphins star Jevon Holland, ranked No. 3 overall. Bynum should command a strong market of interest in free agency.
Meanwhile, the Vikings’ entire starting cornerback group — Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin — are also playing on expiring contracts.
Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling predicted that if it comes down to retaining Murphy, who has been the team’s best cornerback through 10 games, or Bynum, Minnesota will let Bynum walk.
“They need corners, none of them are signed,” Goessling said on the “Vikings Access” podcast, adding that Mekhi Blackmon will be coming back from a torn ACL and that the need to re-sign Murphy supersedes Bynum at safety. “I think the value of a corner is more than a deep safety.
“[Bynum] fits. He’s been great in the role that he’s had. Independent of that, if you’re spending money on those two spots, I think the corner is where they prioritize it.”
The Vikings have cap space to pay both, but that would hinder the ability to make splash free-agent moves elsewhere like guard and interior defensive line.
Vikings, Cam Bynum Apart in Contract Talks With $67 Million Price Tag in the Air
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, Bynum and Minnesota engaged in contract talks ahead of the season.
“The Vikings and Bynum’s representation worked on a contract extension before the season but could not come to terms on a deal,” Lewis wrote.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson previously projected that Bynum, Pro Football Focus’ 14th-ranked safety in 2023, could garner a contract on par with Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney — a four-year, $67 million deal — if he puts together another impressive year.
That’s a price tag the Vikings would find hard to justify considering the talent in the safety room.
Harrison Smith‘s contract expires in 2025 and is considering retirement. But he could also return on a team-friendly contract for one more year.
If Smith retires, safety Josh Metellus could move to box safety and Theo Jackson could step into Bynum’s deep safety role.
One of the Vikings’ ‘Four Horsemen,’ Theo Jackson is Ready to Step Into Starting Role in 2025
A 2022 sixth-round pick by the Tennesee Titans, Jackson lasted six months in Nashville before the Vikings poached him off the Titans’ practice squad following Lewis Cine‘s compound leg fracture in London.
He played primarily special teams but was quietly learning every unique role in the Vikings safety room when Brian Flores arrived in 2023.
“We didn’t know Theo was also learning all of those positions,” defensive backs coach Daronte Jones told Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller in August.
No role is more nuanced on the Vikings’ defense than “The Metellus Role.” In 2023, Metellus played at 12 different spots in Flores’ defense that year, and understanding the unique role, Minnesota knew they had to prepare someone to back up Metellus.
Jackson was the obvious answer.
“His knowledge of how all the pieces fit together grew and then he started to make plays,” Jones said, per Purple Insider.”
The Vikings safety group has been the most experienced core in Flores’ system for two years. Smith, Bynum and Metellus all surpassed 1,000 snaps in 2023 and could eclipse that mark again in 2024.
Despite not seeing the field often, just 166 snaps in three seasons, Jackson is considered one of the same with the starting trio.
“If you watch our meeting room, they are kind of like the Four Horsemen,” Jones told Purple Insider. “Those four guys sit right next to each other. Harry, Cam, Josh and Theo and those guys are in constant communication, talking as they’re watching tape. ‘How do you see this? I see it that way. We could do this. We could do that.’ I just love hearing that communication.”
If either Smith or Bynum part ways with the Vikings in 2025, Jackson is reason enough not to splurge in free agency.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown, so now he has to have the responsibility. You can’t make mistakes now, expectations go up,” Jones said, per Purple Insider. “He’s handled it very well.
“I like the player he’s becoming and I like his future,” Jones added.
