Seems like the worst-kept secret in free agency.
Kyler Murray will meet with the Minnesota Vikings soon, as he starts a new chapter in his career after a stint with the Arizona Cardinals. Grant Gordon of NFL.com reports the Vikings have emerged as the favorite to sign Murray.
Until the new league year kicked off on Wednesday, Kyler Murray was still officially an Arizona Cardinal. But now he’s officially a free agent.
Now? Well, the Minnesota Vikings have emerged as the favorite to sign the soon-to-be free-agent quarterback, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Sunday on The Insiders.
The Vikings and Murray have been viewed as a stellar fit since the Cardinals informed the 2019 No. 1 overall pick he would be released. However, Pelissero noted that he expects the market to be a robust one for Murray's services.
"If you're Kyler and his agent, it makes a lot of sense to take advantage of this," Pelissero said. "He's never been a free agent before. He's not interfaced with a lot of teams and executives since he selected in the draft back in 2019 and for Kyler, who's going to be a free agent in 2027 after taking a one-year minimum deal this year it makes sense … to take his time and explore his options here before deciding to take the next important step in his career."
The Miami Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa, but Murray and Tua's situations are very different.
"Yesterday, the Miami Dolphins took to Twitter and other forms of social media and officially said goodbye to Tua Tagovailoa, making it public that they were moving on from him," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said. "That basically means that teams are now allowed to talk to him. He is being treated like a free agent. Even if he isn't officially released on the wire, he is basically free."
"That is not the case with Kyler Murray. He has not been announced as a free agent by the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that he took to Twitter and said goodbye himself. So that means teams that are interested — including the Minnesota Vikings, who I think it's fair to say are a favorite here — they have not yet been able to speak with him. I expect that to ramp up tomorrow, when his release is official. But until and unless the Arizona Cardinals go public with their plans to say goodbye to Kyler Murray, he is stuck in a little bit of a limbo situation."
Murray will look to turn his career around and is in a prime spot to do so.
If he lands in Minnesota, he’s expected to compete for the starting job.