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Over the last few days, speculation about Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has been at the center of the national media.
The former No. 1 overall pick has an uncertain future with Arizona, and with Minnesota needing a QB to challenge J.J. McCarthy, analysts and insiders have connected the dots. While the fit does make sense, there’s one elephant in the room: The finances.
On the Feb. 16 edition of The Alec Lewis Show, Vikings beat reporter for The Athletic, Alec Lewis, shared his take on the speculation. He noted that any move to Minnesota could depend on what Murray is looking for financially.
“Some of [the contract talk] can become moot if Kyler Murray is eventually cut,” Lewis said. “If the Arizona Cardinals can’t find a trade partner and get to a point where it’s like they just have to make this move right now. If they did that, they could make it a post-June cut. It would be a massive dead cap hit that they are undertaking, but that would then leave Kyler Murray on the market, and it becomes a choice for him.
“Does he want a long-term deal with financial security that a place like [the New York Jets], which has $70 million in cap space, could be willing to provide? Or would he be willing to take the Daniel Jones-type option, where you’re taking a one-year, rental prove-it deal in a really good situation that could set you up for the future?”
Vikings Will Need to Wait on Cardinals Decision
Moreover, Lewis believes that until Arizona decides whether to find a trade partner for Murray or bite the cap hit and cut him, the conversation can begin on whether he’d be a serious option for the Vikings.
“I’d say the Kyler Murray conversation is really going to be contingent upon, and the realistic component of it, in my opinion, is going to be contingent on how things work out with his contract and with the Arizona Cardinals,” Lewis added.
Since entering the NFL in 2019, Murray has thrown for 20,460 yards and 121 touchdowns, per StatMuse. Additionally, Murray has two Pro Bowl selections to his name and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. As a result, there’s talent there, and would Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell be able to get it out of him should a move to Minnesota happen?
Insider Expects Cardinals to Cut Kyler Murray
During a Feb. 16 appearance on “The Herd,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer stated that he expects the Cardinals to cut Murray, then emphasized the Vikings again before mentioning the Jets as a landing spot for him this offseason.
“I think it probably makes it more likely that Arizona just flat‑out has to move off of him, cut him, and let him go to the market,” Breer said. “I think he will find a place that will view him as that reclamation project. Maybe it’s Minnesota, maybe it’s the Jets. We’ll see.
“But I think the contract situation makes it a little harder for the Cardinals to hang on to him and a little harder for the Cardinals to trade him, which makes it more likely that they’ll cut him.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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