Cross One QB off the List for 2024 Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings must decide in the next 75 days to re-sign quarterback Kirk Cousins for 2024 and beyond or let the man walk to free agency.
The team’s leaders universally sound interested in retaining Cousins, who will return from a torn Achilles tendon and encounter his age-36 season in 2024. But the kicker — as always with Cousins — will be the pricetag.
Cross One QB off the List for 2024 Vikings
Meanwhile, Minnesota is expected to alas draft a high-round quarterback in April’s draft, chiefly because general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell took over two years ago, and if they’re not planning on drafting a young passer now, then when will they do it? It would seem odd for the pairing to put all chips in the Cousins basket. We shall see.
The Vikings could also pull off a trade for a veteran quarterback, but if that is strategy, one notable man won’t be available if his team’s head coach is telling the truth. And that’s Kyler Murray.
Arizona will own a Top 5 draft pick when the regular season ends next weekend, and many believed its new general manager and head coach combo could trade Murray for assets while using the draft pick on Drake Maye, for example.
Per Cardinals skipper Jonathan Gannon, though, Murray won’t go anywhere. He’s the Cardinals’ franchise quarterback — unequivocally.
A reporter asked Gannon on Tuesday, “Is there any doubt in your mind who your quarterback is going to be next season?” Gannon replied, “No, there is not. There is no doubt. Number 1 is our franchise quarterback.”
If the 2024 NFL Draft occurred tonight, the Cardinals would pick fourth, prime real estate to draft Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State or trade the pick back to a quarterback-needy suitor. For the last few months, many wondered if Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort would trade Murray for draft capital and use the pick on Caleb Williams or the aforementioned Maye.
Following the Gannon response, the Cardinals will likely explore Harrison Jr. or trade the pick to, for example, the Vikings. Williams and Maye don’t just highlight the draft; quarterbacks Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix, and J.J. McCarthy will be coveted, too.
Moreover, the Vikings have also been linked to Murray in the shadows. Murray grew up as a Vikings fan, and if Arizona was sold to the highest bidder, pondering Murray-to-Minnesota made some sense, considering his robust skillset and ability to sling the ball downfield. But those were only whispers and rumors — evidently null and void after Gannon’s affirmation.
Minnesota would choose 12th in the draft in the NFL’s current condition. If the Vikings lose on Sunday at the Detroit Lions, the pick can climb as high as ninth, depending on the outcomes of a few other games.
The Vikings haven’t used a 1st-Round draft on a quarterback since Teddy Bridgewater — a decade ago.
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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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