The Minnesota Vikings escaped England with a Week 5 victory over the Cleveland Browns before retreating stateside into the relative safety of their bye week, but cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. didn’t leave London unscathed.
Murphy incurred the second-largest fine of the week from the NFL for a horse-collar tackle he made in the second half of Minnesota’s eventual four-point victory over Cleveland.
The league dinged the Vikings cornerback to the tune of a $17,389 fine for unnecessary roughness, despite the fact that the referees did not throw a flag on Murphy for that offense — or any penalty for that matter, after the play was complete.
The fine won’t come close to breaking Murphy after he inked a three-year deal worth $54 million over the offseason to remain in Minnesota.
Murphy is the most experienced player in a Vikings secondary that hit lightning in a bottle for at least one game with career backup Isaiah Rodgers, who had one of the best outings of any defensive back in NFL history against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 — scoring two defensive touchdowns while forcing two fumbles, recovering one fumble and making an interception to go along with two pass breakups.
Murphy earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career in 2024 on the strength of 14 pass breakups, six interceptions, six tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Through five games in 2025, however, he has tallied just two pass breakups and has not registered a tackle for loss or a takeaway.
The Vikings are in the midst of their bye in Week 6 and won’t take the field again until the Philadelphia Eagles come to town on October 19.
