Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. is almost giddy over this new chapter in his NFL career.
After four seasons with the Cardinals, the 2019 second-round pick signed a two-year deal with Minnesota in free agency this spring. The 25-year-old Murphy is taking over for another former Cardinal, Patrick Peterson, as the team's top cornerback. During those four seasons in Arizona, Murphy experienced one playoff berth, but he also dealt with two seasons of five wins or fewer. Now he's joining a team that's coming off a 13-win season and division title.
Perhaps just as importantly, he's made a massive jump in off-the-field organizational quality, at least according to his fellow players. The Vikings ranked first in this year's NFLPA team report cards survey, which measure player satisfaction. They earned A grades across the board, ranking in the top five in all of the survey's categories.
The Cardinals ranked 31st. The reasons cited by players in the NFLPA's team summary: "The worst-ranked weight room, which some players feel is a safety hazard; an outdated training room and locker room; and a policy of deducting dinner from players’ paychecks should players want to get food from the facility."
Now that he's in Minnesota, Murphy isn't paying for food at the facility anymore.
"I just think everything's great right now," he said on Tuesday. "Just loving it, to be honest."
"Happy to kind of get away from that situation," Murphy added. "Always thankful for that team, coming from there, but I'm here now, excited, happy. I'd probably say this is just better for me.
"Everything's better," he said with a wink and a glance at the facility behind him.
Murphy is joining a defense led by new coordinator Brian Flores, one of the most well-respected defensive minds in the league. He said he likes the aggressiveness of Flores' defense and how he puts players in the best positions to succeed.
He's also motivated to prove himself in a new situation after signing a two-year, $17.5 million deal, one that carries up to $4 million in additional incentives over the next two seasons. Murphy, who has yet to make a Pro Bowl, had a challenging 2022 season. He got injured for the first time in his career, missing eight games with a back issue. Sitting out and being unable to compete was difficult, he said.
"Last year, first time actually getting injured, sitting out that many games kind of brought me back to reality," Murphy said.
"I got a big edge on me, a lot of things on my mind. Definitely got an edge and gotta prove myself this year."
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