For weeks — arguably months — a select few Minnesota Vikings fans have pondered what a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for quarterback Kyler Murray might cost. With free agency approaching in 20 days, the answer may be nothing. Murray could be released.
Murray’s deal and Arizona’s reset add another variable to Minnesota’s 2026 quarterback room.
A majority of Vikings fans are skittish about acquiring Murray because of his alleged work ethic, but the same crowd could change its tune if Murray can be obtained without draft picks from a trade.
Kyler Murray’s Possible Release Creates a Vikings Angle
The Vikings’ offseason storyline involving the Murray trade continues to unfold.
Albert Breer: Cardinals Could Release Murray
SI.com’s Albert Breer joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd this week, chatting about Murray and other possibly available quarterbacks.
He told Cowherd, “Does somebody look at these guys, Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, and say, ‘Yeah, I can get more out of him.’ You know who did a really good job of that the last couple of years? The Minnesota Vikings.”
“When I look at Kyler, it would be a landing spot like that. What complicates it is the contract. Kyler’s got $36.8 million guaranteed this year, and then another $19.5 million guaranteed next year. That complicates trading for him. That complicates cutting him.”
Breer then predicted a roster cut instead of a trade, “So, I think you see the way that that splits up, and I think it probably makes it more likely that Arizona just flat out has to move off of him and cut him, and let him go to the market. I think he will find a place that will view him as that sort of reclamation project.”
“Maybe it’s Minnesota, maybe it’s the Jets. We’ll see. But I think the contract situation makes it a little harder for the Cardinals to hang onto him, and a little harder for the Cardinals to trade him, which makes it more likely that they’ll cut him.”
Murray, shoved onto the open free-agent market, could spark an all-out sprint by about five teams for his services. A trade and a release are two very different things in offseason-speak.
Pursuing Him from Free Agency Would Feel Mandatory
It’s one thing for Vikings fans to be on the fence about trading draft assets for Murray; nobody really enjoys the idea of losing precious draft capital.
But Murray in just-released free agency versus a fancy trade is a new ball of wax. How could the Vikings, a franchise habitually in win-now mode, turn down a Murray pursuit if the man hit the open market? He may not be a dream fit within Kevin O’Connell’s offense, but he also isn’t Tim Tebow. Murray can throw the ball 65-70 yards, he’s the fifth-most accurate passer in NFL history, and not long ago, he had 4.38 speed.
Minnesota would basically be in a situation where it would have to choose between Murray and a Jimmy Garoppolo-type. Facing that choice, Murray would be a no-brainer — even for the anti-Murray crowd.
Fansided‘s Christopher Kline wrote Monday, “If his full contract is triggered for next season, Murray comes with a substantial $52.7 million cap hit. So again, Arizona will probably find it easier to simply waive him, rather than trying to convince a team to swallow such a huge chunk of change.”
“On the other hand, if the Cardinals are willing to absorb a chunk of his remaining salary in order to grease the wheels on a trade, Murray is probably respected enough to return actual value in a deal — potentially a Day 2 pick, even.”
A Sam Darnold Arc with a Better Start to the Story
Listen, Murray isn’t starting from rock bottom like Sam Darnold in 2023 or 2024. He also isn’t Baker Mayfield from 2022. Murray has a documented production resume. Here’s his average season when his starts are scaled to 17 games:
- 3,997 Passing Yards
- 30 Total Touchdowns
- 11 INTs
- 67.1% Completion
- 623 Rushing Yards
A team with Super Bowl aspirations cannot pass that up from open free agency, assuming Breer’s theory comes to fruition.
Huge Dead Cap Hit for Cardinals
Of course, Murray’s release is not final. It’s in wait-and-see mode. Arizona would eat $47.5 million in dead cap funds if it dates the transaction after June 1st — still an exorbitant figure.
Yet, the Cardinals are embarking on an era with Mike LaFleur as head coach, and all signs point to him and the organization desiring a fresh start. Arizona drafted Murray with the first overall pick in 2019, and the Cardinals have reached the postseason once. It’s probably time for something different — for the franchise and Murray personally.
The Vikings absolutely must not ignore Murray if he’s released. It’s a Darnold redemption tale dangled in their face with a guy who’s already marshalled a much more productive career than Darnold ever dreamed before 2024.
