Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is healthy and ready to play. The Cardinals have already said they won’t play him next week.
What if the Cardinals are thinking about trading him before the deadline? And what if the contender that just lost its starter for the rest of the season is willing to make a phone call?
Yes, the Vikings can go “next man up.” Or they can add an available veteran who is available at this point of the season for a reason.
Or they can swing for the fences. They could try to lure Tom Brady out of retirement for the stretch run. Or they could really close their eyes and hope for the best in a trade for Murray.
It would be a major commitment for the Vikings. Murray wouldn’t be a short-term option. It would be a long-term move.
Murray has five years remaining on his current deal, with a payout of $184.12 million. That’s $36.8 million per year. And the Cardinals would take a $46.2 million dead-money charge for Murray next year if they trade him.
It’s likely too big of a decision for the Vikings to make before 4:00 p.m. ET. And the conversation is a short one (pun intended) if the Vikings aren’t inclined to ride with a quarterback of limited height.
Of course, Jaren Hall is only six feet tall. So it’s not as if the Vikings took an undersized quarterback off the board.
There are probably too many moving parts to make this happen, even if both teams would be inclined to do it. But if the Vikings secretly covet Murray and believe he would enhance the Kevin O’Connell offense, it doesn’t hurt to at least ponder the possibility of putting Murray in purple.