Given the struggles J.J. McCarthy faced this past season, both with injuries and inconsistency when he actually did take the field, the Minnesota Vikings have naturally been linked to several quarterbacks who could conceivably come in and challenge the 23-year-old or perhaps even replace him outright.
One of the most high-profile names that's been thrown around, of course, is Kyler Murray. Now, when it was unclear whether the former No. 1 overall pick would be released by the Arizona Cardinals, there was simply no way the Vikings could even entertain the thought of trading for him, as his combined cap hits over the next three seasons totaled more than $140 million.
And that's just far too much money to pay a player who's missed 27 of a possible 68 regular-season games over the past four years, including a dozen this past season.
However, now that the Cardinals have officially informed Murray that he'll be released when the new league year kicks off next Wednesday, Minnesota can seriously consider adding the 28-year-old. And while some might think the Vikings will have to pay a substantial amount for his services, the fact of the matter is that they could very well get him for the lowest price possible.
Minnesota Vikings may only need to pay $1.3 million to sign Kyler Murray
Given how the five-year, $230.5 million contract Murray signed back in 2022 was constructed, the Cardinals are on the hook to pay him $36.8 million in guaranteed money in 2026. They actually would have also been on the hook for another $19.5 million in 2027 had they not released him before the fifth day of the new league year, but that's obviously no longer an issue.
Given this development, the Vikings can sign Murray for just $1.3 million, which is the league minimum in 2026 for players with seven years of service time.
This scenario played out not too long ago with Russell Wilson, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the then-veteran's minimum of $1.2 million ahead of the 2024 campaign after being released by the Denver Broncos, who ultimately paid the remainder of his $37.8 million salary.
It's been reported that Murray, along with all the top quarterbacks who are set to hit the open market, is very interested in joining the Vikings. And why wouldn't he be? After all, it's not every day that you get the chance to throw passes to a generational talent like Justin Jefferson. And there seems to be interest on Minnesota's side as well, and that price mentioned above only makes him that much more attractive.
Now, we just wait and see how things play out. Buckle up, Vikings fans; things are going to get wild in the next week.