Bleacher Report Predicts “Breakout Player” for Vikings
Annually, at least one Minnesota Vikings player ascends to prominence. For example, K.J. Osborn emerged in 2021, Duke Shelley in 2022, and of course, Ivan Pace Jr. in 2023.
Bleacher Report Predicts “Breakout Player” for Vikings
And according to Bleacher Report, this year’s edition will be safety Camryn Bynum — who has already busted out a bit in the last three seasons.
BR defined a breakout player for each NFL team last week, and Bynum got the nod for Minnesota. “Bynum made a name for himself last year, setting career highs in tackles (137), passes defended (nine) and forced fumbles (three),” Matt Holder explained the selection. “He’s gotten better every single year of his career and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cal product finish his fourth season with a Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro bid.”
As a rookie in 2021, Bynum flourished in relief of Harrison Smith for a few games, so much so that his trajectory as a sophomore in 2022 soared, at least per offseason outlook. Then, Minnesota cut ties with Mike Zimmer, hired Kevin O’Connell as head coach, and O’Connell onboarded Ed Donatell as his defensive bossman in 2022. The Donatell experiment didn’t fare well, lasting just one season before Flores took over in 2023. In 2022, Bynum’s second campaign, he struggled to catch fire in Donatell’s defense, like many defenders that season. Bynum was a fringe roster-cut candidate last summer, though the theory never took hold too seriously.
Bynum later arrived to the 2023 season — producing a 73.2 Pro Football Focus grade and gaining a bit of Pro Bowl attention. He didn’t get the nod from voters, but his performance nibbled at the honor.
The veteran safety has one year left on his rookie contract, and extension talks could be underway as early as now. Regarding an extension this summer, Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North in June, “I did talk with Cam Bynum about a potential contract extension … my sense is there is mutual interest on getting an extension done whether it’s right before training camp / late July… or before the opener before the New York Giants.”
What would a Bynum contract look like? NFL contracts always increase with the importation of TV money, for starters. His deal would likely fetch three years and $30 million or something in the ballpark. That would rank him around 10th highest-paid or so in the league, a fair deal for his services, with contracts escalating henceforth. A slimmer deal, around $24 million for three years, could also materialize.
Bynum also made headlines last month by predicting a Vikings’ Super Bowl triumph in 2024, a theory not advanced by many. “I expect a Super Bowl,” Bynum told NFL.com one month ago. “Everybody says that, and everybody should say that. But you look at the guys on the team, you look at the locker room, all the experience we have. Look how much depth we have, especially on the defense. So many guys. It’s almost weird looking around, you’re like, OK how are we all going to get on the field? There’s just so many ballers.”
Other breakout candidates mentioned by BR? Buffalo Bills wideout Khalil Shakir and New York Giants CB Deonte Banks, among 29 others.
The NFL regular season is about six weeks away.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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