Every year, teams will move on from their starting quarterback in hopes of starting anew. This year, multiple teams have done just that to try and set themselves up for the future.
The Minnesota Vikings are in that bucket and are in need of a starting quarterback. Kirk Cousins has moved on to the Atlanta Falcons and former NFL GM and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum floated a wild trade proposal which has the Vikings acquiring Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and the 66th overall pick for the 11th overall pick.
So here’s my proposition to clear some cap space for the Cards, officially start the McCarthy era in Arizona and fix the Vikings’ QB issue. In my mind, the No. 11 pick for Murray straight up is too rich, and No. 23 — Minnesota’s other first-rounder — on its own is not enough. So I’m attaching that third-rounder to level this out. It’s similar to what the Cardinals did during the 2022 draft, when they traded their first-round pick (No. 23) to Baltimore for receiver Marquise Brown and a third-rounder.
From the Vikings’ standpoint, everything I said earlier about Murray’s durability still matters, but he’s cheaper and younger than Kirk Cousins would have been to re-sign and gives them a chance to compete this season rather than rebuild.
The argument that Tannenbaum is making centers around the idea that McCarthy hasn’t missed games but Murray has. McCarthy hasn’t missed games because he hasn’t played in the NFL yet.
Is this a good move for the Vikings? That in itself is an interesting conversation. Murray has elite level arm talent and excellent athleticism. However, is he going to be the elite quarterback that people thought he would be when the Cardinals selected him first overall? Plus, the Vikings wouldn’t get the benefit of a rookie contract.
It’s an interesting idea but not likely one rooted in reality.
