Camryn Bynum wasn't supposed to be the answer for the Minnesota Vikings at the safety position, but apparently, someone forgot to tell him.
When Bynum began the 2022 season as a starter on Minnesota's defense, he was believed to be a place-holder in the team's starting lineup for Lewis Cine, who the Vikings had selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
But instead of that happening, Bynum emerged as a dependable piece of Minnesota's secondary, and he's remained a full-time starter since the start of the 2022 campaign. This season, he's already accumulated 31 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery, in addition to allowing opposing quarterbacks to only have a 51.4 passer rating when throwing in his direction.
Will the Minnesota Vikings and Camryn Bynum agree to an extension before the end of the 2024 season?
With Bynum entering the NFL in 2021 as a fourth-round draft pick, he's currently in the middle of the final year of his rookie contract with the Vikings. Ideally, Minnesota would like to figure out a way to extend him before he's able to hit the free-agent market next March, and it sounds like the team has at least made attempts to do just that.
According to a recent report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings and Bynum have had discussions about a possible contract extension "in recent months but couldn't reach an agreement."
This information came about when Fowler was tasked with predicting which NFL player will sign an extension during the next two months, and he ended up selecting Bynum (which seems like a good sign).
It would be wise for Minnesota to work out a new deal with their young safety before the end of the season because there's a chance that he might not return to the Vikings if he's able to hit free agency in March.
It would be a bit of an unprecedented move for Minnesota, since they haven't extended a current player in the middle of a season since 2013. But for Bynum, it seems like a decision that has become necessary if the Vikings want to keep him around past the 2024 campaign.