Although the Minnesota Vikings appear content with developing J.J. McCarthy, they shouldn’t be against the idea of bringing in a veteran quarterback to compete with the former first-round pick.
An intriguing Vikings free agency rumor suggests the Vikings could strike a deal for a two-time Pro Bowl signal caller.
“With the Geno Smith trade to the (New York) Jets, the Vikings appear to be the big favorite for Kyler Murray,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on X/Twitter Tuesday. “Would imagine Kirk Cousins could become an option as well. Both players available tomorrow barring a trade.”
For clarity, Seifert is referring to the Tuesday afternoon trade that sent Smith and a Las Vegas Raiders seventh-round pick to the Jets for a sixth-round pick.
Murray's tenure with the Arizona Cardinals got off to a strong start. The lightning-quick dual-threat QB finished his first NFL season with 3,722 passing yards, 544 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 64.4% completion percentage, earning him NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Although Murray earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods following his impressive rookie campaign, his production and health began to decline shortly after.
From suffering a devastating ACL injury in 2022 to enduring a season-ending foot injury this past season, the Oklahoma product’s availability played a significant part in his noticeable downfall with the Cardinals.
Still, with Arizona set to release Murray at 4. p.m. ET today, the Vikings should be interested in adding the talented 5-foot-10 quarterback to the fold to give McCarthy some much-needed competition at the position.
Simply put, Murray is among the best free-agent quarterback options for the Vikings in early March.
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