Purple Rumor Mill: The Absurd QB Idea, a Trade Fail-Safe, the Other Byron Murphy
Dustin Baker
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VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the March 23rd edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: The Absurd QB Idea, a Trade Fail-Safe, the Other Byron Murphy
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week.
Rumor: The Vikings should spend their 1st-Round draft picks on a trade for Tua Tagovailoa.
Fox Sports’ Nick Wright advanced the wild theory this week, connecting Minnesota to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, presumably for the price of the Vikings’ two 1st-Round picks.
Wright said on First Things First, “If I were advising the Dolphins, you know what I would tell them? You know how Minnesota acquired an extra 1st-Round pick? They have the 23rd pick because they want a quarterback. I would call them and see what they think of Tua Tagovailoa.”
If the trade happened — it probably won’t — Minnesota would have to turn around and pay Tagovailoa more money than it declined to offer Cousins. “You could have stability at the quarterback position and maybe quiet Justin Jefferson’s fears,” Wright added.
The idea apparently goes like this: Tagovailoa is too expensive and not productive enough for the Dolphins — but not too spendy for the Vikings, a team that could evidently unlock him with Jefferson and friends.
No thanks.
Rumor: There’s a trade fail-safe for the Vikings involving the Arizona Cardinals.
Asked by reporters if he’d be willing to trade down from the No. 4 spot, Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort didn’t hold back. “There will be a big neon sign that says ‘open.’ I don’t like it blinking — that kind of messes with my eyes — but we’ll always have the conversation. We may not get to the point where the deal makes sense, whether it’s at 4 or anywhere we’re picking, but we’re always going to have the conversation,” the executive replied.
Many believe Minnesota should trade into the No. 2 hole with the Washington Commanders or No. 3 with the New England Patriots to ensure a Top 3 quarterback prospect, but as a fallback plan, it seems the Cardinals are very open to doing business with the Vikings if the deal is sweet enough.
Ossenfort added, “And if it makes sense and it’s attractive to building our team, then it’s something we’ll certainly consider no matter where we’re at in the draft.”
So, this is the way. If the Vikings can’t trade with Washington or New England, Arizona is open for business — a fail-safe to draft the fourth quarterback off the board.
Rumor: If everything goes wrong for the Vikings via trade on draft night, they’ll stick-and-pick at No. 11 and choose Texas DT Byron Murphy II.
SportsKeeda’s Tony Pauline detailed this week, “The feeling the Vikings were giving off at pro day is that Murphy would be their contingency plan at 11 if no signal-caller is available.”
Drafting Murphy II would assuredly disappoint some, but not because of the player personally. It would have meant that the Vikings struck out on Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy, instead pivoting to a defender at No. 11.
Thereafter, Minnesota would presumably use the 23rd selection on a quarterback, likely Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon’s Bo Nix. If Penix Jr. didn’t have a lengthy injury history, he might be a Top 10 prospect like Maye and McCarthy — or Caleb Williams (USC) and Jayden Daniels (LSU).
The Vikings, at some point, must sign or draft an impact defensive tackle, so this contingency plan isn’t half bad.
Vikings One Signing away from Home Run Free Agency
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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