Last week, the Minnesota Vikings pushed Aaron Jones’ contract void date to March 12, the final day before free agency begins. The team is doing the same with another potential free agent.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported the Vikings are pushing cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr.’s void date back. The deal was set to void 23 days before the start of the league year, which would be Tuesday or Wednesday. Now, the void date will be the day before the league year begins.
This means the Vikings will not be able to place the franchise tag on Murphy, an idea that recently gained steam. The void date is after the March 4 deadline for teams to place the tag on players. It also means the Vikings avoid dead money hitting the cap due to the void date.
Graziano also clarified the Vikings didn’t do the same with Sam Darnold, whose contract also voids 23 days before the start of the league year. That would trigger $5 million in dead cap that will hit the books in 2025 even if the Vikings were to franchise Darnold, which is still on the table.
Moving the void date signals the Vikings are interested in Murphy, but it doesn’t guarantee a deal will be done. Minnesota did the same thing with former defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson’s contract in 2023. However, the Cleveland Browns signed Tomlinson to a four-year, $57 million deal, leaving the Vikings with a hole in the middle of their defensive line.
Still, the move gives both sides more time to make a decision. Murphy made significant progress between 2023 and 2024 in Brian Flores’ defense, intercepting six passes, the most by a Vikings cornerback since 1998. If Minnesota believes Murphy can repeat and grow on that performance, they now have additional time to make a deal.