The quarterback position may need to be addressed by the Minnesota Vikings using a backup plan, and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray may be a trade target if they are unable to secure a spot among the first four picks in this year’s draft.
The Cardinals are choosing J.J. McCarthy as the fourth quarterback off the board after the Cardinals move off of Murray in a mock draft on March 26. ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum put himself in every general manager’s shoes and made 32 selections.
If the Vikings don’t select a quarterback in the top four this year, Tannenbaum has the solution: he will send the No. 11 pick to Arizona in exchange for Murray and a third-round pick.
“The No. 11 pick for Murray is simply too expensive in my opinion, and Minnesota’s other first-round pick, No. 23, is insufficient on its own. To level the playing field, I’m tying that third-round pick to the No. 11 pick. Tannenbaum compared this to what the Cardinals did in the 2022 draft, when they sent Baltimore their first-round pick (No. 23) in exchange for receiver Marquise Brown and a third-round pick.
“Though Murray is younger and less expensive to re-sign than Kirk Cousins, the Vikings can still compete this season rather than rebuilding because of everything I said earlier regarding his durability.”
The Vikings should pivot at quarterback if they can’t get inside the first four picks, according to Tannenbaum’s opinion, but Minnesota cannot afford to get Murray.
The cheap years are over for Murray, who in 2022 agreed to a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension, making it the fifth-richest quarterback deal in the NFL.
The Cardinals would be stuck with a record $46.2 million dead cap if a trade were to occur before June 1st, which would be the result of releasing a veteran quarterback contract. Murray’s contract includes a $113 million fully guaranteed payment for the following three seasons, which is precisely the kind of scenario the Vikings want to steer clear of when negotiating with Cousins.
When The Athletic suggested that Murray would be traded in November, a number of league executives objected, labeling Murray’s deal as “problematic” and untradable.
Nonetheless, Murray—the first overall selection in 2018—is a two-time Pro Bowl player and the previous Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Vikings might arrange their finances to enable them to have a win-now roster for a few years if they think they have one.
You never want to go full Rams, and that’s probably not how general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wants the team to be operated.
Be the first to comment