Vikings' Camryn Bynum Earns Nice Bonus in Performance-Based Pay

Bynum will take home a solid chunk of additional change for his play in 2023.

Will Ragatz | Apr 1, 2024

Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) runs off the / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

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Minnesota Vikings

Vikings safety Camryn Bynum has earned a nice bonus in the NFL's performance-based pay distribution system. Bynum gets another $785.5K for his play in 2023, which is the 15th-highest total among all players. Ravens guard John Simpson led the way with $974.6K in performance-based pay.

The performance-based pay program is a "collectively bargained benefit that compensates all players based upon their playing time and salary levels." Implemented in 2002, it was designed to benefit players like Bynum who play a ton of snaps while on cheaper contracts.

Bynum's base salary in the third year of his rookie contract was $940K, so this nearly doubles his pay for the 2023 season. The 2021 fourth-round pick out of Cal will get a bump up to $3.1 million this year in the final year of his rookie deal.

After showing some flashes in a limited role during his rookie season, Bynum has been a full-time starting safety for the Vikings over the past two years, playing virtually every single defensive snap. He struggled a bit, like most of Minnesota's defenders, during the 2022 season under Ed Donatell. But Bynum bounced back in a big way last year with the change from Donatell to Brian Flores at defensive coordinator. He finished with 137 tackles, 9 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions, earning a 73.2 PFF grade that was even higher before a subpar final four games of the season. Bynum had the best game of his career in a Monday Night Football win over the 49ers, recording two late interceptions to seal the victory.

Bynum will retain his every-down role as the Vikings' primary deep safety in 2024, playing alongside Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus. He's a potential candidate for a contract extension at some point this summer.

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Published Apr 1, 2024

WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.