Getty
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Minnesota Vikings are the desired destination of most QBs on the move, or potentially on the move, this offseason and are now the prohibitive favorites to deal for perhaps the most talented signal-caller available in spring 2026.
Reporter Evan Sidery cited odds from Kalshi on Friday, February 20 that indicate the Vikings are the most likely trade partner for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“The Vikings are the favorites to acquire Kyler Murray, per @KalshiSports,” Sidery posted to X. “Minnesota: 23%, Falcons: 15%, Jets: 12%.”
The Vikings are the favorites to acquire Kyler Murray, per @KalshiSports:
Minnesota: 23%
Falcons: 15%
Jets: 12%
Murray is under contract through 2028 on a five-year deal worth $230.5 million in total, though the last season is a club option. His salary cap hit if he remains with Arizona in 2026 is $52.66 million.
Cardinals Remain Positioned to Trade Kyler Murray in Coming Weeks
GettyArizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Murray suffered a foot injury in Week 5. And while Murray could have returned at different points later in the season, NFL insiders essentially unanimously concluded that the Cardinals held him out to ensure his health as a precursor to trading him.
Arizona has since fired former head coach Jonathan Gannon, now the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, and replaced him with former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
LaFleur told reporters earlier this week that there is no timeline on a decision to keep or trade Murray, though the new league year starts on March 11. The Cardinals can pick up $34.7 million in salary cap relief, which they can use in free agency starting on that date, if they deal Murray before then.
Vikings Will Wave White Flag on JJ McCarthy if Team Trades for Kyler Murray
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
The odds Kalshi Sports provided for the Vikings landing Murray indicate the prevailing belief is that Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell is hunting not just for competition for 23-year-old quarterback JJ McCarthy, but a viable veteran option to replace him come Week 1.
If true, that would indicate in turn that either O’Connell feels he is on the hot seat heading into Year 5 after the franchise fired former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah earlier this offseason or that McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 draft, is already a lost cause — or possibly both.
Minnesota is currently $43.2 million over the 2026 salary cap, and Murray will cost the Vikings more than $78 million over the next two years combined before the team can move on with relative financial ease.
Adofo-Mensah’s and O’Connell’s joint plan was to build around an inexpensive QB in McCarthy, spending big on other roster spots to create a contender. That was the thought process behind letting Sam Darnold walk for $100 million from the Seattle Seahawks, a team with which he just won a Super Bowl less than two weeks ago.
If O’Connell and whoever the new Vikings GM ends up being decide to make a play for Murray, they are all but waving the white flag on the McCarthy experiment just 10 games into his career. He missed his entire rookie season with a knee issue, and three separate injuries resulted in the QB sitting out seven starts during his sophomore campaign.
McCarthy would still remain on the roster and get a chance to compete for the QB1 spot, but if the Vikings trade for Murray, everyone involved must assume the starting job is his to lose.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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