INDIANAPOLIS – Cam Bynum’s priorities are in order.
Yes, he’s one of the NFL’s more flamboyant players. He’s ball-hawking safety with a personality, an infectious smile and a choreographed celebration just itching to be rolled out in front of thousands on any given Sunday.
“It’s a kid’s game,’’ one of the Indianapolis Colts’ high-priced free-agent acquisitions said Monday afternoon. “We’re part of the 1% of people that are blessed enough to have the talent, have the health to be able to play in the NFL. If you aren’t enjoying every single day, if you’re not coming into the building excited to come to work, this might not be for you, or you might not last very long or you might have a miserable time being here.’’
So, Bynum plans on embracing and celebrating – there’s that word again; get used to it – every single NFL moment, which now means maximizing every single moment in a Colts uniform.
“They reached out,’’ he said of being pursued by General Manager Chris Ballard. “You could just tell that it was a team that was aggressive. You could tell when certain people truly want you.’’
Ballard had targeted Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward on the NFL’s free-agent market and closed both deals last Monday.
Bynum held the distinction of agreeing to the richest free-agent contract during Ballard’s nine-year stint at GM (four years, $60 million with roughly $32 million guaranteed) only to be one-upped a short time later by Ward (three years, $60 million, $35 million guaranteed).
Bynum’s indoctrination with the Colts included a ride Monday on owner Jim Irsay’s private jet from California.
And it most definitely included a support system that looked on from the periphery while he took the next step in his athletic life.
When Bynum walked into the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center media room, he was followed by wife Lalaine along with his father, mother, four siblings and long-time personal trainer Anthony Brown. His mother is Filipino and his father African American. He and Lalaine, also Filipino, spend Bynum’s offseason in the Philippines.
“My support system means everything to me,’’ he said.
Each individual has had an impact on Bynum’s journey from undersized fifth-string wannabe on the JV team at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif. to first-team All-Pac-12 at Cal to 2021 fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings to three-year starting safety with the Vikings to high-priced addition to the Colts’ secondary.
The cross-country excursion on Irsay’s private jet left an impression.
Bynum smiled broadly.
“They flew me here on a private jet for my first time,’’ he said. “So, I was acting like a little kid on there, doing a little photoshoot with my family. Yeah, ‘Orange juice, please.’ They even had a Filipino meal on the plane. I was like, ‘I’m home.’’’
That’s the plan.
Ballard and his personnel staff had Bynum and Ward atop their “must sign’’ list as free agency approached.
Once the Colts reached out, Bynum sought feedback from Stephon Gilmore, a teammate with the Vikings last season who spent the 2022 season in Indy.
Gilmore understood Bynum’s personality and the family atmosphere created by the Irsay family.
“He said, ‘I think that’s the place for you,’’’ Bynum said.
He also had spoken recently with current Colts’ linebacker Segun Olubi. Bynum and Olubi were high school teammates at Centennial and Olubi frequently visits Bynum in the Philippines.
“As soon as (the Colts) came calling and sent an offer, I was like, ‘OK, this is a really heavy option,’’’ Bynum said. “Once everything fell down to it . . . I know this was the place I need to be.’’
Dancing with stars
The attractiveness of Bynum is obvious. He didn’t miss a start the past three seasons with the Vikings – 53 games, including two in the postseason – and always was around the football with seven interceptions, 25 passes defended and 314 tackles.
“Versatility,’’ he said. “Leadership. “First and foremost, it’s always about the ball. You get graded, you get paid based off of how many times you can touch the ball and take the ball away. And that’s something that I’ve been able to do in my career and something that I’m confident that I going to be able to do in Lou’s (Anarumo, defensive coordinator) defense.’’
Then, let the fun begin.
Bynum believes hard work during the week and success on game day should be followed by a choreographed dance with teammates, and his handy work always makes its rounds on social media.
“It’s always been important since high school,’’ he said. “It’s something that I’ve always done, enjoying. Especially on defense, it’s hard to make plays, especially in this league. So, when you do make a play and when you know that you put in so much work during the week, it’s like why wouldn’t you take that time on Sunday when you do something great?’’
It’s rooted in Bynum’s insistence on having fun while on the job.
“If you can have fun on the weekend, why not?’’ he said. “If you can play well enough to earn a celebration, to earn the fun that you’re having, then why not? Why not reward yourself? Fans love it. It brings the fan base together. Now the offense can feed off the energy that we have from taking the ball away. It lights the whole team on fire and I’ve been it first-hand what it can do for a team.’’
And, Bynum insisted, his celebrations really aren’t that complicated or time-consuming during the week.
“It’s quick,’’ he said. “It’s more conversation than anything: ‘Let’s do this. I’m thinking this.’ You’ve obviously gotta learn the defense, every single week learn a new install. So, learning a dance is nothing for some athletes. Watch a few videos, practice it once and you’re good to go.’’
Never lose track of what’s important.
“If we’re able to do a lot of dances, that means we made a lot of turnovers,’’ he said. “That means we won a lot of games. It’s a direct correlation.’’
Timing is everything
There’s a 12-hour time difference between Indy and the Philippines. When the NFL’s free-agent negotiating window opened at noon on Monday, March 10, it was midnight in the Philippines.
Bynum and the Colts agreed to the lucrative contract at roughly 4 a.m. Tuesday, March 11.
He handled his normal daily routine, which included a workout, then returned home for what would be a long, long day/night/morning. He and his agent were in constant contact.
“It was pretty chill,’’ Bynum said. “It ended up being 3-4 a.m. by the time we ended up getting every offer from every team, weighing the options.’’
It was Bynum’s first journey into free agency, and he expected to have time to mull over the various offers.
“My agent’s like, ‘Naw, we need to know in the next 10 minutes,’’ he said with a laugh.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.