Kirk Cousins was recently let to go in free agency by the Minnesota Vikings, partly due to his success in signing a lucrative four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
In light of this, it has seemed reasonable that the Vikings, who also signed Sam Darnold earlier this month, might choose to pursue a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. For the Vikings, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum had quite the different opinion.
Former NFL General Manager Offers the Vikings a Crazy Trade
Tannenbaum revived an old notion that appeared to have died a long time ago: Kyler Murray to Minnesota, in a mock draft published on ESPN. The former general manager handed Murray and the No. 66 overall pick to the Vikings in exchange for the No. 11 overall pick.
Tannenbaum also predicted that Arizona would choose Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy with the fourth overall pick, providing the Cardinals with an instant replacement at quarterback. He sent Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, a CB, to them at No. 11.
After the trade, Tannenbaum wrote:
Here’s my plan to free up cap space for the Cards, usher in the McCarthy era in Arizona, and resolve the Vikings’ quarterback situation. The No. 11 pick for Murray outright seems excessive to me, and Minnesota’s other first-round pick, No. 23, is insufficient on its own. To even things out, I’m attaching the third-rounder. It reminds the Cardinals of their 2022 draft transaction with Baltimore, where they sent their first-round pick (No. 23) in exchange for wide receiver Marquise Brown and a third-round pick.
Everything I previously stated regarding Murray’s durability is still relevant from the Vikings’ perspective, but he’s younger and less expensive to re-sign than Kirk Cousins, so they have an opportunity to compete this season rather than rebuild.”
Yes, Murray is a very good quarterback, and if the Vikings were to sign him, he would undoubtedly join a very favorable environment. But the Vikings probably wouldn’t have done these two things if they had wanted to sign another veteran quarterback:
Permitted Cousins to stroll
Darnold was signed to a $10 million contract with most guarantees.
The Vikings could have easily re-signed Cousins if they had really thought that they needed an experienced quarterback to guide the offense, especially in light of the money Murray would cost them in the upcoming seasons. The quarterback’s current contract has the following cap hits for the final five seasons:
$49.1 million in 2024
$45.6 million in 2025
$55.5 million in 2026
$43.5 million in 2027
$46.4 million in 2028
Remember that Murray’s 2022 ACL tear reduced his playing time in 2023 and should disprove any claims about his durability in comparison to Cousins. The only things working in Murray’s favor are his age (he is 26 years old, whereas Cousins is 35) and the extra mobility he possesses.
That still doesn’t explain, though, why Minnesota signed Darnold, who is clearly a “bridge QB.” With the contract, the Vikings will be able to select a quarterback in the spring draft; but, Darnold will be able to start Week 1 if the prospect isn’t ready.
Though it’s entertaining to consider Murray in Minnesota’s offense, it would be far more sensible for the Vikings to try to select a quarterback in this spring’s draft.
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