Byron Murphy facts for kids

Byron Murphy Jr. (born January 18, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington.

Early life

Murphy attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. He played cornerback and wide receiver. As a senior, he had 88 receptions for 1,733 yards and 21 touchdowns on offense and 52 tackles and seven interceptions on defense. Murphy committed to the University of Washington to play college football.

College career

After redshirting his first year at Washington in 2016, Murphy played in six games with six starts in 2017, missing seven due to injury. He finished the season with 16 tackles and three interceptions. He returned to Washington as a starter in 2018. He was awarded the MVP at the 2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game after making two interceptions, one of which he returned for a 66-yard touchdown. On January 7, 2019, Murphy announced that he would forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL draft.

College statistics

Season	GP	Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		Solo	Ast	Cmb	TfL	Sck	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2016	0	Redshirted
2017	6	13	3	16	3.0	1.0	2	17	8.5	0	7	1	0	0	0
2018	14	37	21	58	4.0	0.0	4	78	19.5	1	13	1	0	0	0
Career	20	50	24	74	7.0	1.0	6	95	28.0	1	20	2	0	0	0

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals selected Murphy in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was the second cornerback selected in 2019, behind Deandre Baker (30th overall), who was drafted by the New York Giants before being released after one season. Murphy was also the second of seven Washington players drafted that year and the first of three Washington defensive backs.

2019 season

On May 9, 2019, the Arizona Cardinals signed Murphy to a four-year, $7.98 million contract that includes $5.63 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3.83 million.

Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback against Tramaine Brock and Chris Payton-Jones after long-time starting cornerback Patrick Peterson was suspended for the first six games of the regular season. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury named Murphy and Tramaine Brock the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.

On September 8, 2019, Murphy made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start, recording five combined tackles (four solo) during a 27–27 tie with the Detroit Lions. In Week 5, he racked up a season-high nine combined tackles (seven solo) and a pass deflection in the Cardinals' 26–23 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals. On November 10, 2019, Murphy made five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and had his first career interception off a pass thrown by Jameis Winston and originally intended for wide receiver Chris Godwin in a 30–27 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed his rookie season with a total 78 combined tackles (66 solo), ten pass deflections, and one interception while starting all 16 regular season games.

2020 season

During training camp, Murphy competed against Robert Alford, Dre Kirkpatrick, and B. W. Webb to be the No. 2 starting cornerback. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph also had Murphy transition to a role as the primary nickelback. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury named Murphy and Patrick Peterson the starting cornerbacks to start the regular season.

In Week 6, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles (seven solo), a pass deflection, and recovered a fumble during a 38-10 victory at the Dallas Cowboys. In Week 7 , Murphy recorded two solo tackles and had his first career sack on Russell Wilson as the Cardinals defeated the Seattle Seahawks 37–34 in overtime on Sunday Night Football. On November 2, 2020, the Arizona Cardinals placed Murphy on the reserve/COVID-19 list and activated on November 11, He subsequently was inactive for the Cardinals' Week 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He finished the 2020 NFL season with 51 combined tackles (40 solo), eight pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and two sacks in 15 games and seven starts.

2021 season

During the off-season, starting cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick departed in free agency. Murphy subsequently became a possibility to be a starting cornerback, but competed amongst the likes of Robert Alford, Malcolm Butler, Daryl Worley, Darqueze Dennard, and rookie Marco Wilson. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury named Murphy and Marco Wilson the starting cornerbacks to begin the season.

On September 26, 2021, Murphy made four combined tackles (three solo), two pass deflections, two interceptions, and scored his first career touchdown during a 31–19 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His touchdown came in the second quarter, after quarterback Trevor Lawrence had a pass that was intended for Jacob Hollister deflected by linebacker Jordan Hicks and caught by Murphy before returning it for 29-yards for a touchdown. His Week 3 performance against Jacksonville earned him the National Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week. He was sidelined for the Cardinals' Week 5 win against the San Francisco 49ers after injuring his ribs. In Week 13, he recorded six combined tackles (four solo), was credited with half a sack, a season-high two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Andy Dalton in the Cardinals' 33-22 victory at the Chicago Bears. He finished the 2021 NFL season with a total of 64 combined tackles (49 solo), one touchdown, was credited with half a sack, and lead the Arizona Cardinals with 12 pass deflections and four interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts.

2022 season

Murphy returned as a starting cornerback for the Cardinals in 2022. On September 18, 2022, Murphy made one tackle and returned a fumble recovery for a game-winning touchdown during a 29–23 overtime victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. His touchdown in overtime was after Derek Carr completed a pass to Hunter Renfrow was fumbled after it was caused by linebacker Isaiah Simmons and recovered by Murphy for a 59-yard touchdown. On December 24, 2022, the Arizona Cardinals placed Murphy on season–ending injured reserve due to a back injury and subsequently lead to him missing the remaining seven games of the season (Weeks 10-18). He finished the season with 36 combined tackles (22 solo), four passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries through nine starts.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 15, 2023, the Minnesota Vikings signed Murphy to a two-year, $17.50 million contract that includes $12.60 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $7.00 million.