The Miami Dolphins are dealing with a very tricky situation at the moment. While Tua Tagovailoa is not drawing trade interest, his $99.2 million dead cap hit if cut will restrict how the Dolphins operate this offseason.

With potentially a $50 million-plus dead cap hit, even as a post-June 1 designation, the Dolphins will have very limited ability to land a new quarterback. That’s why the perfect replacement for Tagovailoa would be Kyler Murray. He could sign a veteran minimum contract and cost the Dolphins very little.

However, as Connor Hughes of SNY reports, the Minnesota Vikings are expected to land Murray, dealing some bad news to the Dolphins with their top free agent target.

Dolphins get bad news from Vikings on Kyler Murray

Hughes was reporting on the New York Jets‘ interest in free agency, with Murray being one such option. However, as Hughes reports, “Kyler Murray was discussed, but he is expected to sign with the Vikings.”

The Vikings swooping in and signing Murray seemed like one of the more likely landing spots for the dual-threat quarterback.

While he might have a clear path to the starting job thanks to J.J. McCarthy, if he’s guaranteed the starting job, there’s little reason why the Vikings wouldn’t be his best destination.

The Vikings have a playoff-caliber defense and a solid offense that’s realistically just a quarterback away. Kevin O’Connell should be able to get the most out of Murray in 2026 if he does sign in Minnesota.

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This is a tough report for the Dolphins, as Murray would’ve been the perfect replacement for Tagovailoa this offseason. Instead, it looks like Murray is headed to the Vikings.

There are a few options the Dolphins could bring to Miami, but none would be as impactful as Murray would’ve been.

Nothing is certain, as the new league year needs to begin before anything can become official. But with Murray only expected to sign a veteran minimum, any team will be able to bring him in if the team and Murray himself want to link up.

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