The quarterback position has been a topic of discussion for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. While Kirk Cousins is locked in as the starter for at least the 2023 season, there are some questions about who will be under center beyond that.
Cousins is entering the final season of his contract and there are already reports of teams ready to pursue him in 2024. If the Vikings don’t work out an extension with him before the season starts, there is a good chance someone else is under center for them next year.
However, that quarterback may not be on the roster currently. Jaren Hall was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft but it is anyone’s guess if he will be ready to take over the starting job in 2024. If he isn’t and the team moves on from Cousins, another veteran will have to be acquired.
In all likelihood, the Vikings are going to be too good to land one of the top prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft, so free agency or a trade is the likeliest route. If they opt for the trade route, Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals has been suggested as a possible trade target by Matthew Coller on an episode of “The Purple Insider” podcast.
“The Kyler Murray thing, I think there’s some potential there if the Vikings are moving on from Kirk Cousins but they win too many games to get a high draft pick,” Coller said.
“It’s not completely absurd to think that could be something of interest for the Vikings. The most likely scenario remains… the Vikings draft somebody [to succeed Cousins],” Coller said. “But if they end up with 10 wins and they’re in the playoffs and they can’t get one of the top quarterbacks [in the draft], then what do you do? You start investigating other ways around that.”
Murray is currently rehabbing from an ACL injury that he suffered last season. There is a chance that he is sidelined for the entire 2023 campaign as the Cardinals have almost zero incentive to rush him back onto the field, especially if they are going to entertain the idea of trading him.
If the Cardinals land a top pick, which many presume that they will, given their current situation and the fact that they own the Houston Texans’ first-rounder as well, a quarterback will be under consideration. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are both highly rated prospects and the best way for a rebuilding team to reset is by having a quarterback on a rookie contract.
If that occurs, the Vikings could look to make a splash and acquire Murray. They aren’t close to rebuilding and adding the former No. 1 overall pick would help keep their Super Bowl aspirations alive. Imagine the kind of damage Murray could do with Justin Jefferson as his No. 1 target.
That is something that the Vikings could be thinking about as well. It probably wouldn’t be cheap to acquire Murray, but coming off of an ACL injury, this is the lowest his value is likely ever going to be if Minnesota wants to strike a deal.
