Vikings Left Empty-Handed After Strong QB Pursuit
All eyes in Minnesota are on the quarterback position. The Vikings want to pair J.J. McCarthy with a veteran, but most of the top targets are already off the board. Tua Tagovailoa is headed to Atlanta, Malik Willis joined the Miami Dolphins and on Tuesday, the New York Jets landed Geno Smith.
A new report suggests the Vikings were in on him, but missed out.
National reporter Jordan Schultz proclaimed on social media, “Geno Smith had real interest from the #Vikings, but the #Jets were able to get it done.”
Over the last few weeks, Smith’s name was often linked to the Vikings but for a reporter to identify them as a suitor after the fact, there might be a little more to it than just smoke. And he’s not the only one.
ESPN’s Vikings writer Kevin Seifert shared the same sentiment: “Well … that makes things a bit more clear in Minnesota. Geno Smith was definitely an option the Vikings were considering if he was released. The Jets get ahead of that here.”
Rich Cimini, the Jets reporter from ESPN, posted, “Instead of waiting for Smith to be released tomorrow at 4, the Jets were proactive and made the trade to eliminate other bidders. Other teams, notably the Vikings, were interested. So that’s why they did the draft-pick swap.”
Smith is back with the Jets, where his NFL journey began in 2013. The 2nd-rounder has since bounced around, wearing the colors of the Giants (2017), the Chargers (2018), and the Seahawks (2019-2024). With the Seahawks, he finally got back onto the field as a full-time starter and he showed that he can play with back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2022 and 2023.
Seattle traded him to the Raiders last offseason to move forward with Sam Darnold, a bet they surely don’t regret while celebrating their Super Bowl triumph. The season in Las Vegas went up in flames early on and resulted in the 1st overall pick. Smith was headed towards a divorce via release, but the Jets prevented him from hitting the open market.
Smith has frequently been linked to the Vikings for weeks, in the same breath as Kyler Murray. Over the last few days, Murray’s name has gained more and more steam, which is why the latest Smith reports might be a little surprising.
The veteran passer brings the experience to the table that the Vikings are looking for. Having both been a starter and a backup in his career, he could’ve succeeded in either role regardless of the outcome of the camp competition with J.J. McCarthy.
The fact that Smith’s arrival would’ve indeed made it a real competition might be a strong reason why the Vikings were intrigued by the two-time Pro Bowler. Adding Murray could signal a move away from McCarthy entirely, as the talent gap seems too much to overcome for the third-year QB.
Smith is also considered a great scheme fit with his ability to push the ball down the field and target receivers over the middle of the field, both staples in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Yet, none of that mattered last year when he registered 19 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the Raiders’ train wreck of an offense. In Minnesota, he’d have the luxury of actually throwing to good receivers.
Now the Vikings have to pivot and Murray’s name will continue to dominate the conversation. Though the scheme doesn’t seem ideal, he is a talented signal-caller with the mobility and accuracy every offensive coach would love to work with. All the concerns connected to Murray’s past are overshadowed by the prospects of getting him for the veteran minimum.
The Vikings are not allowed to talk to Murray or his representatives as he has not yet been released by the Arizona Cardinals. That is expected to take place at some point this week.
The 28-year-old is now far and away the leading candidate to become the new quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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