Byron Murphy has a debt to pay.
Murphy and the rest of the Minnesota Vikings’ secondary get on the JUGS machine for 10 to 15 minutes daily after practice. Each automated pass comes with a risk. They Vikings fine receivers and corners if they drop passes at practice. Murphy must get through the entire practice without dropping an interception, then catch the 20 to 30 balls the machine tosses at him.
“We can’t have any drops,” said Murphy. “It might get you fined if you drop something. We’re always on our toes at practice.”
The Vikings signed Murphy, 26, to a two-year, $17.5 million contract last year. Murphy won’t say how much a drop costs him. However, it’s presumably relatively insignificant for the former second-rounder the Arizona Cardinals drafted in 2019.
“Prices go up and down,” said Murphy. “I still owe some stuff to the pot. I still got to go give it back.”
That may sound surprising coming from Murphy, who played cornerback and receiver at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., and was a scout team receiver at the University of Washington.
His one-handed interception off Kirk Cousins late in the fourth quarter sealed Minnesota’s win on Sunday. It was Murphy’s sixth pick of the season, one behind league leaders Xavier McKinney and Kerby Joseph (seven).
“It kind of like laid in his hands so smooth,” said Jonathan Greenard, who pressured Cousins on the play. “He just continues to get better and better, man. I see him getting 10 picks.”
Murphy has already passed his career-high four picks in 2021 and is entering his prime.
Cousins overthrew Kyle Pitts on the play. Still, Murphy made a catch reminiscent of his receiving days. Greenard didn’t play with Cousins last year, but Greenard felt the need to console the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback.
“I just ended up just tapping Kirk on the shoulder,” said Greenard. “I mean, he had no emotion. I’m just like, ‘Hey, brother, that’s just one of them ones. We just made a play. So I know it’s tough.’ I wasn’t trying to talk trash.
“He was just like, ‘Damn.’ I know that had to hurt. But, hey, man, that’s why we got 7 on our team.”
Murphy’s only fault on the interception? He caught Cousins’ throw outside the end zone and didn’t try to run it back. His momentum carried him into the end zone, and he considered leaving the end zone to try for yardage. However, Murphy chose against bringing it out because he thought he’d get a touchback. Instead, the officials placed the ball at the two-yard line.
“I really want to say it was momentum taking you into the end zone,” said Murphy. “I feel like you shouldn’t be on the [two-yard line]. But obviously, I caught it on the one.
“I didn’t see it. If I would have seen it, I probably would have took it out of there.”
It’s hard to fault Murphy, given how he caught the ball. It also didn’t end up mattering. Sam Darnold took the Vikings 98 yards on seven plays for the game-sealing touchdown.
So why does Murphy have interception debt? Given how well he’s played recently, it’s easy to forget that he started the season slowly.
- In his first four games, Murphy had 37 targets, 28 receptions, 352 yards, two TDs allowed; nine missed tackles, one interception, and two pass breakups.
- In nine games since then, Murphy has 45 targets, 30 receptions, 253 yards, no TDs allowed; four missed tackles, six interceptions, and seven pass breakups.
Murphy plays a vital role in Minnesota’s secondary, especially after it lost Khyree Jackson in a car accident and Mekhi Blackmon to an ACL injury before the season started. As the Vikings’ No. 1 corner, Murphy is probably looking for a payday this offseason. He also could be trying to lead the league in interceptions.
Ultimately, though, he may just have a debt to pay and doesn’t want to add to it.