The Fascination with Kyler Murray in Purple Hits a Snag
A couple of weeks ago, Kyler Murray was reported as disgruntled with Arizona Cardinals, leading some NFL fans to believe the situation would result in a trade.
Murray grew up cheering for the Minnesota Vikings, so the NFC North was speculated as a landing spot. It was always a longshot as the trade price tag for Murray would be gargantuan, and the new Vikings leadership regime may not want to trade a bunch of draft capital out of the gate.
Fast forward to March, and all Murray really wants is more money and a guaranteed contract. His rookie deal expires after the 2023 season.
His agent posted a lengthy manifesto of demands, prefaced with a commitment to the Cardinals. If the money is right — the dollars must be humongous per Murray’s agent — Murray does not want to leave Arizona.
The first section affirms Murray “absolutely wants to be your [Arizona’s] long-term quarterback,” so that’s basically the starting point for all negotiations. If he wanted out of the desert, the possibility of Murray actually joining the Vikings would be greater.
Moreover, the Cardinals owner “loves” Murray.
That’s two strikes against Kyler-to-Minnesota. And those strikes are massive. Murray wants to stay a Cardinal, and the team’s owner shares the same mindset.
The Vikings have a decision to make — soon — on their own quarterback as Kirk Cousins is scheduled to incur a $45 million cap hit against Minnesota’s book in 2022. His deal must be restructured, or the team could trade its QB1. Because the potential for a Cousins trade is semi-real, the Vikings management is a new and unbiased version to the Cousins question, and Murray was allegedly upset with his current team, all of the dust kicked up on a hypothetical swap of Cousins and draft picks for Murray.
More and more, though, it sounds like the Vikings are interested in keeping Cousins in 2022. Couple that with Murray’s probable return to the Cardinals — and the utopia of the Oklahoma alumnus joining the Vikings remains what it always was — a longshot.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”964701″ player=”26279″ title=”WATCH%204%20ideal%20Stephon%20Gilmore%20landing%20spots” duration=”103″ description=”There’s now every reason to believe that the South Carolina product will leave Carolina for another team in free agency. If so, here’s a look at four ideal landing spots.” uploaddate=”2022-03-01″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/964661_s_1646151487974.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/964661/964661.m3u8″]
The only way it would be possible now is if Bidwill balked at Murray’s price tag and traded him elsewhere. Then, in theory, the Vikings would have to pay Murray his king’s ransom.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. 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).
Vikings Territory Also Read: Vikings Should Call Old Friend for Stretch Run
You must be logged in to post a comment.