Tag: Byron Murphy

Vikings finalizing 2-year, $22M deal for CB Byron Murphy

The Cardinals will lose their former second-round pick to the Vikings on a two-year, $22 million deal. He is coming off a back injury.

It appears the Arizona Cardinals will lose both of their higher-profile free agents. After defensive lineman Zach Allen agreed to a three-year deal with the Denver Broncos, cornerback Byron Murphy is nearing a two-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Per Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, it is a deal worth $22 million.

Murphy, the 33rd pick in the 2019 draft, was a starter all four seasons he played for the Cardinals. Primarily a slot corner for three seasons, he played mostly on the outside in 2022 and was having his best season before a back injury ended his year.

He played only nine games in 2022.

The 25-year-old cornerback replaces former Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson in Minnesota. Peterson, after two seasons with the Vikings after a decade with the Cardinals, is now headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a two-year deal.

The loss leaves the Cardinals with major questions at cornerback. The only two currently under contract are third-year pro Marco Wilson and Christian Matthew, drafted in the sixth round last year.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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1 pending free agent the Eagles could target from each NFC team

With the legal tampering period and NFL league year fast approaching, we’re looking at 1 pending free agent the Eagles should target from each NFC team

The Eagles won’t be major players in the free-agent market, but it’s always fun to take a hypothetical look at one potential target from every team.

Philadelphia agreed to a deal with Brandon Graham on Friday but is expected to lose Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, James Bradberry, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson — among others — to lucrative deals.

It was also announced that Darius Slay was granted permission to seek a trade, further clouding up a transition period for one of the NFL’s top defenses in 2022.

With the new league year fast approaching, here’s one pending free agent from each NFC team that the Birds should target.

Zach Allen, Byron Murphy poised to get big paydays in free agency

Allen and Murphy are in line to get big deals with not particularly strong free agent classes at defensive line and cornerback.

The Arizona Cardinals’ top two soon-to-be free agents are defensive lineman Zach Allen and cornerback Byron Murphy. While the team would like to re-sign both, both might end up out of their price range.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, both are in a good position to get big contracts.

Graziano writes, “watch out for guys such as Denver’s Dre’Mont Jones, Jacksonville’s Arden Key and Arizona’s Zach Allen, who have been mentioned several times to me as players expected to draw strong interest on the open market.”

The top of the market includes Javon Hargrave, who is expected to get the biggest contract and probably not from his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fowler mentions Murphy as a potential sleeper in free agency.

He writes, “Because of a lack of depth in the draft or the free agency class, corners such as Jamel Dean, Byron Murphy Jr. and James Bradberry are well positioned.”

An average approaching $16 million per year for Murphy is quite possible.

Both Allen and Murphy were drafted by the Cardinals’ previous leadership and coaching staff.

Allen and Murphy may begin to negotiate with other teams beginning Monday.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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7 cornerbacks the Vikings can sign after waiving Cameron Dantzler

With the Vikings waiving Cameron Dantzler Sr., there are just two corners on the roster. @TheKevinFielder highlights 7 CBs to keep an eye on

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has made a statement.

For the first time in his tenure, this feels like it will be his roster. Whether it was the decision to release long-serving players like Erik Kendricks or Adam Thielen or the comments regarding Kirk Cousin’s future, Adofo-Mensah has taken the roster by his hands.

On Saturday, the Vikings announced that they waived cornerback Cameron Dantzler, Sr.

The move saves the Vikings about $2.7 million towards the cap. Although the Vikings remain over the ceiling, that number is down to $7 million, meaning the Vikings will have to make more moves.

Releasing Dantzler leaves the Vikings thin at cornerback. While they could re-sign someone like Duke Shelley, who performed well at the end of the season, it looks like they’ll be players in the free-agent market.

If that’s the case, there are seven free-agent cornerbacks to watch for the Vikings.

4 Cardinals listed among top 100 2023 free agents

Zach Allen, Byron Murphy, Kelvin Beachum and Will Hernandez are all among the top available free agents this offseason.

Free agency is a couple of weeks away and the Arizona Cardinals have a number of decisions to make. They have a bunch of soon-to-be free agents at important positions.

Pro Football Focus ranked the top 100 players scheduled to be free agents.

The Cardinals have four players listed.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

1 free agent the Saints should target from every other team in the NFL

1 free agent the New Orleans Saints should target from every other team in the NFL, from the Arizona Cardinals to the Washington Commanders:

They say that you miss all of the shots you don’t take, which has been a popular philosophy for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. It’s sometimes tough for them to land their top targets due to the complicated salary cap gymnastics required to fit everyone on their books — but that hasn’t stopped them from aggressively pursuing players who they believe can make their team better.

And that should continue to be the case in 2023. It’s early, and many of these players will sign extensions with their teams in the weeks ahead. But we have an idea of the areas the Saints must upgrade to field a competitive roster in the fall.

Given the list of free agents currently expected to be available, here is one player from each of the other 31 teams around the league who New Orleans should at least make a run at once they’ve reached salary cap compliance (with our division previews and list of alternative free agent targets collected at the bottom):

2023 NFL free agency: Ranking 5 defensive back options for the Seahawks

With that in mind, here are five free agent DB options for the Seahawks to consider this year.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll might be the planet’s premiere DB guru, or at least he’s right up there with Bill Belichick and John Harbaugh in their ability to find and develop quality talent on the back end. Seattle’s secondary is in strong shape heading into 2023. In Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams they have one of the league’s top starting safety combos plus a superb backup in Ryan Neal. They also have the most-talented young cornerback in the sport in Tariq Woolen, setting a strong foundation for the future.

However, this group isn’t a finished product just yet. With that in mind, here are five free agent DB options for the Seahawks to consider this year.

5 free agent and trade targets for Patriots at cornerback

Any one of these five cornerbacks could help the Patriots in 2023.

The New England Patriots will be in the market for a defensive back so much that some mock drafts have them taking a cornerback with the No. 14 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft.

There are plenty of options available through free agency and possible trades, which might end up being the better route for a Patriots team that also needs help at offensive tackle. They might be better off preserving their premium draft picks to address the offensive front, while seeking out veteran options at corner.

Keep in mind, Belichick drafted both standout defensive backs, Marcus Jones and Jack Jones in the third and fourth rounds in 2022. So there’s always the possibility of finding a key contributor on day two.

But if the Patriots wanted to go the veteran route, here are five players that would make sense for them to target.

1 free agent the Saints could target from each NFC West team

1 free agent New Orleans Saints could target from each NFC West team: If the Saints strike out on Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo might be the next-best QB available

What happens if the New Orleans Saints strike out on Derek Carr? Acquiring a veteran free agent quarterback is still probably their best bet, and at least one option looks to be coming out of the NFC West: San Francisco 49ers free agent Jimmy Garoppolo. Now, whether the Saints can afford to pay what he’ll be seeking from other teams remains to be seen.

He’s just one of the free agents looking to hit the market from out west, along with players from the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks. How competitive the Saints can be in signing fresh talent is anyone’s guess right now, but let’s survey the players who could soon be available:

6 cornerbacks Vikings should target after Brian Flores hire

The Vikings’ new defensive scheme will need cornerbacks that can play man coverage. @TheRealForno identified six that they should target

The Minnesota Vikings have themselves a new defensive coordinator in Brian Flores.

With the hire of Flores, the Vikings have committed to another scheme change, as he runs a significantly more aggressive defense than what Ed Donatell brought in with Vic Fangio’s system.

The defense right now is one that needs a lot of work and the biggest need is at cornerback. Flores requires his corners to play a lot of man coverage and that is something that the Vikings will need to prioritize bringing in players that will be better in man coverage.

Here are six cornerbacks that the Vikings should target with projected contract numbers from Over The Cap.