Post by PurpleFloyd on Jul 5, 2023 10:42:07 GMT -6
With Kirk Cousins entering the final year of his contract and no real succession plan in place (sorry, Jaren Hall), the Minnesota Competitive Rebuilders will be an easy target for rampant quarterback speculation throughout the 2023 NFL season. Aaron Rodgers is following in the exact same footsteps as Brett Favre from 15 years ago after the Green Bay Packers traded him to the New York Jets, so I’m setting the over/under at November 1 for when customized images of the four-time MVP in a Minnesota Vikings uniform starts circulating online.
If the Rodgers experiment fails this coming season, the Jets can trade away the psychedelics enthusiast without incurring any dead cap ramifications. (And with Minnesota legislators legalizing recreational marijuana effective August 1, that certainly can’t hurt the Vikings’ appeal to Rodgers.)
But what if there was another quarterback who could be connected to the Vikings? One who provides the necessary runway to align with the Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, and Jordan Addison timeline. That’s where Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray comes in.
While I recognize that sounds rather foolish on the surface, there’s a high probability of the Cardinals going full reset after the 2023 season. As it stands now, Arizona is in the pole position to land the top-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have given the Cardinals the lowest win total throughout the NFL at 4.5. And following a 2023 draft-night trade with the Houston Texans, Arizona owns Houston’s first round pick in 2024. Vegas projects the Texans — along with the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Commanders — to have the second-lowest projected win total at 6.5.
When combining Arizona’s and Houston’s first-round picks for the 2024 draft, ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the Cardinals to have a 31% chance of landing the top-overall selection. And the crown jewel of next year’s draft class is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, making 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray more than expendable. Speaking of probability, there’s a legitimate outcome where the Cardinals land the first- and second-overall picks in next year’s draft. I don’t know about you, but kickstarting a rebuild with Williams and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn’t sound half bad for Arizona and first-year (cornball) head coach Jonathan Gannon.
If the Rodgers experiment fails this coming season, the Jets can trade away the psychedelics enthusiast without incurring any dead cap ramifications. (And with Minnesota legislators legalizing recreational marijuana effective August 1, that certainly can’t hurt the Vikings’ appeal to Rodgers.)
But what if there was another quarterback who could be connected to the Vikings? One who provides the necessary runway to align with the Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, and Jordan Addison timeline. That’s where Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray comes in.
While I recognize that sounds rather foolish on the surface, there’s a high probability of the Cardinals going full reset after the 2023 season. As it stands now, Arizona is in the pole position to land the top-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have given the Cardinals the lowest win total throughout the NFL at 4.5. And following a 2023 draft-night trade with the Houston Texans, Arizona owns Houston’s first round pick in 2024. Vegas projects the Texans — along with the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Commanders — to have the second-lowest projected win total at 6.5.
When combining Arizona’s and Houston’s first-round picks for the 2024 draft, ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the Cardinals to have a 31% chance of landing the top-overall selection. And the crown jewel of next year’s draft class is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, making 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray more than expendable. Speaking of probability, there’s a legitimate outcome where the Cardinals land the first- and second-overall picks in next year’s draft. I don’t know about you, but kickstarting a rebuild with Williams and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn’t sound half bad for Arizona and first-year (cornball) head coach Jonathan Gannon.
After releasing Dalvin Cook, the Vikings have a little over $54 million in cap room for their 2024 books. Which would easily accommodate Murray’s $5.6 million cap hit next season as long Arizona trades him before June 1. But with substantial extensions due for Jefferson, Hockenson, and Darrisaw, the Vikings would essentially have little money left over for a splash (or two) on the defensive side of the ball beginning in 2025 and beyond. And with the multiple first-round picks that it would likely cost Minnesota to acquire Murray, it’d be mighty tough to fill out their defense after loading up its cap room for O’Connell’s offense.
To be frank. I’m not saying that this is — by any stretch of the imagination — going to happen. However, the football world should be plenty prepared for the Murray-to-Minnesota narrative to begin during the heart of the 2023 season, especially if/when the picture gets clearer that Arizona starts sinking closer to the bottom of the NFL with their eyes sight on the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
To be frank. I’m not saying that this is — by any stretch of the imagination — going to happen. However, the football world should be plenty prepared for the Murray-to-Minnesota narrative to begin during the heart of the 2023 season, especially if/when the picture gets clearer that Arizona starts sinking closer to the bottom of the NFL with their eyes sight on the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Safer than extending Cousins?
Safer than others mentioned recently like Tannehill, Mayfield, etc.?
Searles should not quit his day job.
The cardinals WILL move on from Murray after this year because he isn’t that good and he hasn’t put in time to get better. He won’t be a long term starter in the league and the only question is how many second chances he gets.
... and neither is this Chris guy.