The Colts’ first agreement of the day is a lucrative one. Safety Camryn Bynum is set to join the Colts on a four-year, $60MM contract, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports.
Bynum’s work in Brian Flores‘ defense will secure him a upper-crust safety payday. More notably, this is a big-ticket outside free agency addition from the Colts, who have been hesitant to explore these avenues — for the most part — under GM Chris Ballard. The veteran front office boss pointed to a philosophical shift this offseason, however, and Bynum will be a big part of that.
A homegrown secondary has not produced positive results for the Colts, who struggled against the pass for much of Gus Bradley‘s three-year tenure. Lou Anarumo is now in place as Indianapolis’ DC. Anarumo’s Bengals defense missed Jessie Bates over the past two seasons; the veteran defensive play-caller will now have another young safety talent in his secondary.
This brings a potentially significant loss for the Vikings, who have Harrison Smith going into what would be an age-36 season. The Minnesota staple is contemplating retirement. The Vikes also have Byron Murphy and Stephon Gilmore in free agency, creating big-picture questions in their secondary. Rumblings about a Vikings-Bynum re-signing did not produce a deal, however, and the Colts will bet on the former fourth-round pick.
Bynum, who is going into an age-27 season, had been a quality role player on a Vikings defense that made major strides during Flores’ two seasons. Pro Football Focus viewed Bynum as taking a step back in his contract year, ranking him outside the top 60 after a 21st-place assessment in 2023. Though, Bynum has been durable (51 starts since 2022) and intercepted eight passes on his rookie deal. Bynum also forced three fumbles in 2023. The Cal product also made a substantial impact as a tackler, registering 137 in 2023 and 96 last season.
The Colts have Julian Blackmon again in free agency, and after a breakthrough Nick Cross season, the former third-round pick is in a contract year. Bynum’s deal may well impact Cross’ future, but as of now, the Colts do not have too much money allocated elsewhere in their secondary.