The final hours of legal tampering are upon us, and the NFL's 2026 league year starts at 3 p.m. CT today. That's when the Arizona Cardinals could release Kyler Murray, and the Atlanta Falcons might do the same with Kirk Cousins.
What will the Vikings do? After signing cornerback James Pierre on Monday, the only move they made on Tuesday was signing All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola to a one-year deal. Follow along for today's major Vikings news and rumors.
Top headlines so far:
— Why Some Patience is Required in Vikings' Pursuit of Kyler Murray
— They Lost Their Punter, But Vikings Are Keeping All-Pro Long Snapper
— Jalen Nailor Leaves Vikings, Lands Three-Year Deal With Raiders
— Ryan Wright Signs With Saints, Leaving Vikings in Need of a Punter
— Vikings Signing Veteran Cornerback James Pierre
— How Daniel Jones Could Torpedo the Vikings' Pursuit of Kyler Murray
— Vikings Free Agency Big Board: Top 5 Remaining Targets at Positions of Need
— Ripple Effects of Failed Ravens–Maxx Crosby Trade Could Impact Vikings
7:05 a.m. — Tavierre Thomas returning to Vikings
The Vikings confirmed that the cornerback has agreed to terms to stay in Minnesota. Adam Schefter reports that it's a two-year contract worth $4.6 million. Thomas is a depth cornerback and one of Minnesota's top special teams players.
6:40 a.m. — Murray, Cousins speculation
SI's Albert Breer says his "sense" is that Murray's "preference" would be playing for Minnesota, though he's not ruling out Cousins returning to the Vikings.
"If the Vikings go another way, with someone like Cousins, then I think the idea of being the stopgap in Indianapolis, presuming Daniel Jones re-ups, while Jones is coming back from his torn Achilles would be appealing to him," Breer wrote of Murray.
"Cousins, as I’ve heard it, would rather not have his new team just grab him for the minimum, mostly because he knows (particularly after what he just went through) how quickly teams can flip the script on quarterbacks—and how a team’s investment in a player can dictate that. His guarantee is also much smaller ($10 million) than those of the other guys, so the chance he exceeds the number is greater. Minnesota and Indy would be on his list as well—we’ll see if those teams would reciprocate the interest."
5:45 a.m. — Colts, Daniel Jones nearing agreement
That's the word from multiple insiders, who suggest Jones and the Colts could be closing in on a two-year contract extension. How Jones' status with the Colts impacts other free agent quarterbacks, namely Murray, remains to be seen. But it's clearly something that could have a domino effect on the Vikings' QB decision.