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The Minnesota Vikings and Kyler Murray remain in the speculation mill this offseason. With Murray’s future with the Arizona Cardinals uncertain, the Cardinals could cut ties with him if they can’t find a trade partner.
Minnesota needs to upgrade QB depth, and the question regarding a potential move for a signal-caller is about what type of player they should bring in. Should the Vikings pursue a reliable backup and let J.J. McCarthy continue as the starter, or sign someone who can take the job away?
On the Feb. 18 edition of the “Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny,” ESPN’s Field Yates acknowledged that Murray might not be head coach Kevin O’Connell’s cup of tea. Still, the former No. 1 overall pick is a major upgrade over what they have in McCarthy.
“Stylistically, Kyler is very different than most people,“ Yates said. “It’s the acknowledgement that you have an excellent quarterback tutor in Kevin O’Connell. You have a team that does not want to have another year where the quarterback play is the anchor that holds them down from competing for the playoffs.
“There’s not a lot of great options here. Sure, it’d be great if the Vikings could dip their toe into the veteran quarterback market and find another version of Sam Darnold, but that doesn’t exist this year.
“While Kyler is not the archetype that Kevin O’Connell has thrived with in recent years, I do think he is an upgrade over J.J. McCarthy based on what we know right now. I think that this could be a reasonably low-risk maneuver for Minnesota because it’s basically a one-year flyer.”
Vikings Insider Weighs In on Kyler Murray Speculation
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?”
Can Kyler Murray Turn Into a Serious Option for Minnesota?
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.
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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