Former NFL GM Suggests a Wild Trade for Vikings in 2024 NFL Draft
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings recently let Kirk Cousins walk in free agency, in part because he was able to land a massive four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
With that in mind, it has made sense that the Vikings could target a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft even though they also signed Sam Darnold earlier this month. However, former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum took things in the complete opposite direction for the Vikings.
Former NFL GM Suggests a Wild Trade for the Vikings
In a mock draft written on ESPN, Tannenbaum reignited an old theory that seemed to have been long dead: Kyler Murray to Minnesota. In exchange for the No. 11 overall pick, the former general manager sent Murray and the No. 66 overall pick to the Vikings.
Meanwhile, Tannenbaum also had Arizona going on to select QB J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan with the fourth overall pick, thus giving the Cardinals an immediate replacement at the position. At No. 11, he gave them CB Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo.
Tannenbaum wrote of the trade:
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.
To be sure, Murray is a very talented quarterback and would be entering a very positive situation in Minnesota if the team were to acquire him. However, if the Vikings were to desire bringing in another veteran quarterback, they likely would not have done these two items:
- Allowed Cousins to walk
- Signed Darnold to a mostly guaranteed $10 million deal
If the Vikings truly believed that they needed a veteran quarterback to lead the offense, they very well could have just re-signed Cousins, particularly considering the price tags that they would be paying to Murray in the coming years. Over the final five seasons of his current deal, the quarterback will carry the following cap hits:
- 2024: $49.1 million
- 2025: $43.3 million
- 2026: $53.3 million
- 2027: $43.5 million
- 2028: $46.4 million
Some of those cap charges would stick around in Arizona, but Minnesota would still be accepting a pretty hearty financial commitment.
Keep in mind as well, Murray suffered a torn ACL in 2022, which limited his playing time in 2023 and should take away from any potential durability arguments as compared to Cousins. The one argument in Murray’s favor is age (he is 26 compared to Cousins being 35) as well as the added element of mobility in his game.
However, that still doesn’t account for Minnesota’s signing of Darnold being a pretty obvious “bridge QB” move. The signing allows the Vikings to draft a quarterback this spring, but if that prospect isn’t ready to start by Week 1, Darnold then can step into the starting lineup.
Overall, the idea of Murray in Minnesota’s offense is a fun thought, but it makes much more sense for the Vikings to try and land a quarterback in this spring’s draft.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.