Vikings Could Be Part of Kyler Murray Sweepstakes in 2024
The Minnesota Vikings have a 1-3 record through four games, host the Super Bowl champions this weekend, and employ a quarterback on an expiring deal.
That sure sounds like a team that will encounter quarterback change next offseason unless, of course, the Vikings fundamentally turn this season around in a hurry.
Vikings Could Be Part of Kyler Murray Sweepstakes in 2024
And when the regular season ends, all conversations involving the Vikings will involve the QB1 spot. Every single one. Nothing else will matter other than the future quarterback’s identity, assuming Minnesota’s front office extends Justin Jefferson, as it has promised for about nine months.
Meanwhile, another big-name passer will likely be available at the same time the Vikings kickstart their 2024 quarterback pursuit — Kyler Murray.
While the Cardinals are quasi-competitive in 2023 — when many NFL experts thought they might “tank” — there is still no concrete timetable for Murray’s return. Without his QB1 services, Joshua Dobbs seems to have a limited ceiling in leading the club to the postseason. Long story short, the Cardinals own their 2024 1st-Round pick, plus Houston’s, and could splash somewhere in the Top 10 of April’s draft for a quarterback to succeed Murray.
Why? Well, this iteration of Arizona’s leadership did not draft Murray. The men who did left the building at the beginning of the year. Murray is the owner of a large contract, and the Cardinals current general manager and head coach might not envision him as the QB1 for the long haul.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote at length about the topic this week, “A new general manager and coaching staff took over in Arizona this offseason, and they have no history with nor loyalty to Murray. But they do have a mandate to rebuild the franchise from the ground up.”
Murray is incredibly talented — strong-armed, fast, and electric. Yet, some chide his perceived moodiness or commitment to excellence.
“The outside speculation — the word I get when talking to agents and executives from other teams — is that the Cardinals likely will move on after this season. Again, that’s speculation. But there are common-sense reasons to speculate that way,” Graziano continued.
Moreover, if Murray doesn’t see a regular season field in 2023, possible general manager suitors won’t break the bank via trade capital on a player with questionable injury status. That means Murray’s pricetag won’t be terribly gaudy. An uninjured Murray would cost multiple high-round draft picks; Murray, with a mysterious bill of health, will fetch a single 1st-Rounder or 2nd-Rounder, especially because his next team would have to eat his ginormous contract — almost “doing Arizona a favor.”
Graziano even plopped the Vikings into the Murray Sweepstakes, “They’re also likely to have numerous potential trade partners, especially if Murray comes back and plays well in the latter part of this season. A partial list of teams that could conceivably be looking for new quarterbacks for one reason or another next offseason includes the Patriots, Jets, Titans, Raiders, Broncos, Commanders, Cowboys, Bears, Lions, Vikings, Buccaneers and Falcons. And teams will slide on and off that list as the season progresses and circumstances change.”
Vikings fans don’t have to love Murray — he’s too saturnine for some — but they should fully expect the purple team’s name to be in the hat for a Murray trade. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could acquire him for cheap, which essentially means not multiple 1st-Rounders. His theoretical new team would have two years to determine if he’s worth the squeeze, and then after the 2025 season, it’s somewhat easy to try something new based on how his contract is structured — if the experiment is underwhelming.
Many will desire Minnesota to follow the Buffalo Bills or Los Angeles Chargers path and draft a Josh Allen or a Justin Herbert, which is very much on the table. But the Murray rumor mill will be loud in 4-5 months. You’ve been warned.
And don’t forget this:
That tweet could actually mean something five years later.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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