The Minnesota Vikings head into next month’s free agency period with more than $60 million to spend. They’re going to have to spend a good chunk of that money if they want to fill the holes they have on their roster, particularly with only three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft to help fill the voids.
One area they’re going to be looking to fill a lot of positions is in the defensive backfield. As it stands today, only defensive back Joshua Metellus is under contract for 2025, meaning the Vikings’ secondary is likely going to look a whole lot different in 2025 than it did in 2024.
Minnesota could very well opt to bring their big-ticket free agents back — names like Byron Murphy, Jr. and Camryn Bynum — as they should have the money to do so. But could they get more bang for their buck by testing the free agent market? One NFL analyst thinks so.
In a recent column for Pro Football and Sports Network, NFL analyst Ben Rolfe made free agent predictions for every team heading into this year’s free agency period. For the Vikings, Rolfe has the team opting to let Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr. go in free agency and replace him with a former Super Bowl champion.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Cornerback Carlton Davis in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and spent his first six seasons with the team, winning a Super Bowl with Tom Brady as the quarterback during the 2020 season.
Last season, he left the Bucs and signed with another NFC powerhouse, the Detroit Lions. Davis played well last season, and is looking to parlay that into a big pay-day on the free agent market. According to Rolfe, it may be in the Vikings best interest to pay Davis instead of shelling out to keep Murphy in the fold:
An intriguing cornerback prospect for them is Carlton Davis, who has a projected contract value of under $14 million per year. That is a much better projection than bringing back Murphy at an AAV of over $22 million per year and could allow them to double up on veteran options at the position.
The biggest knock on Davis is the injury concern he comes with. Davis has missed at least one game in every season of his career, and has missed 13 games over the past three seasons. That could put the Vikings at a distinct disadvantage. But, if they double-dip in the free agent market as Rolfe suggests, it may wind up being a non-issue. We’ll find out in just over two weeks.