The Vikings didn’t land Geno Smith, but his trade to the Jets could leave Kyler Murray as Minnesota’s top QB option.
The Minnesota Vikings didn't acquire a quarterback on Tuesday, but a trade elsewhere could impact their plans at the position.
Geno Smith, who spent the 2025 season as the Las Vegas Raiders' starting quarterback, is being traded to the New York Jets — the team that originally drafted him in 2013.
Smith spent four seasons as the Jets' quarterback before bouncing around the league. He eventually resurrected his career with a Pro Bowl appearance in 2022 as the Seattle Seahawks' quarterback.
But after three solid seasons, Smith was traded to the Raiders last year. The Seahawks then signed Sam Darnold and went on to win the Super Bowl.
It was a tumultuous season for Smith and the Raiders. He completed 67.4% of his passes, but threw only 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 15 games as Las Vegas finished with a league-worst 3-14 record.
The finish landed the Raiders with the first overall pick, where they're expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. That made Smith expendable.
Earlier this month, ESPN's Adam Schefter said the Vikings viewed Smith as one of two top-tier quarterback options available if the Raiders cut him. The other option was Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
With Smith traded, all eyes now go towards Murray. He is still under contract with the Cardinals until 3:00 CST on Wednesday, March 11, the start of the new league year. That means the Vikings can't negotiate with him until then.
There was debate as to whether Smith was a better fit for Kevin O'Connell's offense than Murray. Smith is bigger (6'3", 221 pounds, Murray is 5'10", 207) and has been more durable recently, starting 64 of 68 possible games in four seasons. Murray, meanwhile, has started 41 games in that time.
Can Murray succeed in O'Connell's system? The Vikings' head coach uses many under-center concepts that create play-action passes. He prefers his quarterbacks to play in structure and in rhythm. When healthy, Murray plays at his best when he can improvise and make plays.
Still, Murray will likely cost a league-minimum contract of $1.3 million, due to offset language in his Cardinals contract. That provides the Vikings with a low-risk, high-reward investment in the 28-year-old quarterback.
By Wednesday, a deal could be in place for Murray to come to Minnesota. There may be a public declaration of a "quarterback competition", but Murray will likely have a massive advantage over McCarthy.
The Vikings didn't land Smith, but the trade that sent him to the Jets has Minnesota poised to sign its next quarterback. Now, the intriguing part will be whether O'Connell can find the magic with Murray that he found with Darnold.