NFL.com Floats Kyler Murray to Vikings Trade Idea
While new Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell sounded relatively committed to Kirk Cousins during his introductory press conference, the rumor mill was undeterred.
Cousins is slated for a behemoth $45 million cap hit in 2022, the third-largest in the industry for the upcoming season. And Cousins is not the third-best passer in football, so his salary rubs some folks the wrong way.
New general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a fundamental decision before the 2022 NFL Draft – keep Cousins or trade him. Trading Cousins would offload $35 million to a new team as the Vikings would eat $10 million in dead cap money. Otherwise, Adofo-Mensah could extend Cousins, probably in the ballpark of $33-$40 million per year.
Amid the last two weeks in an offseason already rampant with quarterback trade rumors – Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan are some of those names – Kyler Murray’s name was dropped into the hat last week. Murray is allegedly unhappy about his standing in Arizona, a possible precursor to trade if both sides cannot achieve kumbaya. Plus, when Murray had the opportunity to squash the rumors recently, he posted a picture of himself and a soliloquy about how’s he’s a great teammate. All that did was heighten the speculation because he did not outwardly commit to the Cardinals, despite the hearsay claiming his ire.
Well, as luck would have it, the Vikings were Murray’s favorite football team as a lad, so naturally Minnesota would be a landing spot if the Murray trade hubbub intensified.
To an extent, that hubbub increased last week when Adam Rank from NFL.com mentioned the Vikings as potential Murray home in the event of a trade. In an article about stars who could be traded this offseason, Rank said on Murray to Minnesota:
“I like Kyler to move because the Cardinals won games without him last year. He would bring in a huge bounty of picks. I know there are some growing rumblings between the Cardinals and Murray, and he’s still young enough to bolt to the Oakland A’s if he wants to. But imagine the Vikings making a move with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins (and his expiring contract) for Murray.”
Adam Rank | NFL.com
This one won’t die until Murray confirms his dedication to the Cardinals for 2022. Murray is young, mobile, brash, and electric. Cousins is older, immobile, reserved, and consistent. The two men are opposites, making the temptation for Murray-to-Minnesota irresistible.
Like any quarterback trade (chiefly because there are 32 teams in the NFL), Murray joining the Vikings is a longshot. However, if his disgruntlement hit a breaking point, the Vikings would be a destination to watch because of Murray’s early-life fandom and the assortment of Minnesota’s playmakers currently on the roster.
He’d be attainable via trade for Cousins, likely two 1st-Round draft picks, and perhaps some 2nd or 3rd Rounders for deal sweetener. He will not be cheap. Most football brains believe Murray is on the cusp of a true breakout season, nibbling at superstardom during his first three campaigns.
Don’t bet on it for a Vikings-related swap, but strangers things have happened. It would sure put an end to the daily Kirk Cousins debate among fans.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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