Multiple Insiders Believe Kyler Murray is a Possible QB Plan-B for Vikings on Draft Night

The Minnesota Vikings need a franchise quarterback. I feel like I have started 17 different articles with some variety of that first sentence over the past few days, as the rumors and reports on what general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell will do at QB in next month’s draft continue to circulate.

On Tuesday, former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum (ESPN) released his mock draft, where in it he has the Vikings missing out on their QB of the future, after Williams, Daniels, Maye and McCarthy go in order picks one through four, leaving the Vikings twiddling their thumbs at No. 11.

Minnesota Vikings trade for Kyler Murray on draft night…?

So, what’s the move, in this doomsday scenario? Mike T. says a Vikings trade with the Arizona Cardinals that lands 2019 No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray at TCO Performance Center in Eagan when training camp opens this summer could be on the table.

In Tannenbaum’s mock, the Cardinals essentially steal McCarthy from the Vikings at No. 4 overall, instead of dealing them the pick or, like many assume they will do, drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. Then, they turn to the Vikings and deal them Murray, along with a 3rd round pick, for Minnesota’s No. 11 overall.

I drafted J.J. McCarthy at No. 4 to take over under center for Arizona, so Murray becomes a trade candidate and Minnesota is still searching for QB answers after missing out on the top four passers in the class. I don’t love the scheme fit for Oregon’s Bo Nix in Minnesota, and it’s too early for Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.

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 the No. 11 pick to level this out.

Mike Tannenbaum – ESPN

Now, it’s difficult to wrap your brain around this happening, and that’s because it is extremely unlikely. Tannenbaum may not realize this yet, but I cannot foresee a scenario on April 25 where Kwesi Adofo-Mensah allows this to happen.

Related: Wilfs Appear Confident, Borderline Giddy Over Vikings’ Draft Plans at QB

Once the Vikings have decided where they need to jump to, in order for KOC to get his guy, it’s been made very apparent that the Vikings GM will do whatever it takes to get to that spot, even if it means selling the entire TCO farm back in Eagan, practice stadium and all.

But Mike Tannenbaum may not be that crazy…

But… if we let our minds go beyond realistic outcomes, and we accept this hypothetical scenario, where all four top quarterbacks are indeed gone before the Vikings can snag one, AND the Arizona Cardinals end up being the team that takes McCarthy (or Maye or Daniels — whichever of the three falls to No. 4)… then this scenario would does make a lot of sense.

So much sense that it might be something the Vikings have discussed in-house…? Immediately when I saw Tannebaum’s mock draft Tuesday morning, my mind went to something longtime Pioneer Press’ columnist and insider Charley Walters kicked off the “Don’t Print That…” scoops section of his semi-weekly Sunday column with a couple days ago.

At the time, I passed on aggregating this because it felt so out of left field that I wasn’t sure anyone would take it seriously. But not today… because not only did Walters float the idea of Kyler Murray landing in Minnesota over the weekend, like Tannebaum did Tuesday, he reported it as something he’s hearing could be an actual emergency fallback option for the Vikings, should a doomsday scenario unfold, like the one ESPN laid out above.

Potential wild card fallback move for the Vikings in next month’s NFL draft: Arizona picks a QB the Vikings wanted at No. 4 and the Vikings subsequently trade their No. 23 pick to the Cardinals for QB Kyler Murray, 26.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

So once again… I see an almost impossible likelihood that the final outcome next month is a Vikings draft night trade that lands them Kyler Murray… but Mike Tannenbaum may not be as far off the beaten path as some may believe when they first read his mock draft on Tuesday morning.

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Many wills cream about money, and paying Murray and Cousins’ dead cap hit in 2024 could present some problems in the immediate future. Still… it’s worth noting that most of the guaranteed money in Kyler’s deal will be already paid out after this season.

That means, if Murray weren’t to reach his No. 1 overall pick potential or be trending that way, after one season under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage, the Vikings could cut bait on the cheap, and dive back into whatever quarterback options present themselves a year or two from now.