Cam Bynum Playing Hardball with Minnesota Vikings?

The Minnesota Vikings season is about to start. Yes, in less than 72 hours, Sam Darnold will throw his first pass in purple, Aaron Jones his first carry and Will Reichard his first kick through the uprights. But between now and then, the front office is trying to put some bows on the 2024 offseason.

That’s why we could see some contract levers pulled on throughout the roster. General Manager Kwesi Adofo Mensah is running out of cap space available on the Vikings’ 2024 books. Thus, we should be on the lookout for contract restructures and/or extensions that make sense.

One extension candidate that has been on the Vikings’ radar, for months, is 26-year-old safety, Cam Bynum. The 2021 fourth round pick has blossomed next to Harrison Smith and locking him up long term is an easy decision, especially if the Cal product is willing to do it at a reasonable price.

Mixed in the middle of an absurd paragraph with dozens of random contract notes throughout the league, Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) includes that, “the Vikings are trying to extend safety Camryn Bynum“.

Cam Bynum playing hardball with the Minnesota Vikings during ongoing contract talks?

So, we can all expect breaking news in the next couple of days, about a Cam Bynum extension, right? Well, not so fast, says Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (KSTP SKOR North). During his Scoops session today, on the Mackey & Judd Show, the two sides remain in contact, but an extension is not close.

What’s wrong? Doogie seems to be hearing from his sources that Cam isn’t in any hurry to sign a new deal. He’s already scheduled to make around $3 million this season, and sees a big time payday on the horizon, if he plays well.

“I’ve mentioned previously, there is mutual interest, there has been dialogue on a Cam Bynum extension. But from my sense, there’s just no real momentum, heading into Sunday. It could always change, right? We know that both sides are motivated to get a deal done. I just think that’s a tricky [extension to get done].

He got the escalator so he’s making good money this year, making like three-ish million dollars, so it’s not like cam is yearning right this second, to sign an extension. You look at the safety market, from March, it has exploded. The cap is going up, up, up. So there is Cam Bynum motivation, just to play this thing out, get to unrestricted free agency, next March. But I’m not ruling it out, just based on, hey, there have been discussions, there is mutual interest.”

Darren Wolfson – Mackey & Judd Show (SKOR North)

Something to watch for…

You all can read/listen to that, and come to your own conclusions. But, in the midst of contract negotiations, that sure sounds like a guy who is letting his general manager know, ‘hey, if you don’t want to pay me close to market value, then I’ll just wait’.

Related: Vikings Bringing in Punter Competition for Ryan Wright

We’ll see if the two sides can find a middle ground over the next few days, leading all the way up to kickoff between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. If not, it isn’t impossible to work out a deal mid-season, but history tells us it is much less likely.