It's getting late early for the Arizona Cardinals. They're falling behind the pack at 1-7 on the season. The only team in the NFL to not have more wins than the Cardinals are the Carolina Panthers, who just earned their first win of the season Sunday in their tilt against the Houston Texans.
Point differential isn't doing the Cardinals many favors either. Only the Panthers, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants have a worse point differential than the -62 the Cardinals have posted so far this season.
As expected before this season started, the Cardinals are not expected to compete for much. This season should be spent accumulating draft capital and finding out what they have in their young players.
After the events of this past week and the injuries to many starting quarterbacks, there is a way to get a haul of draft picks to go with the trove the Cardinals have already accumulated.
Cardinals trade Kyler Murray to the Minnesota Vikings for two first-round picks
Let's take a look at why the Cardinals and Vikings would consider agreeing to this trade.
Why the Cardinals do it
For one, the Cardinals are in prime position to land a franchise quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft. In a draft class that looks like it will produce at least two clear cut franchise quarterbacks at the top in USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye, having a top-two pick guarantees a team at least one of those two.
The Cardinals are currently in line to have the number one pick in the 2024 draft, where they would likely select Caleb Williams.
It would be deja vu for the Cardinals and Kyler Murray, who usurped Josh Rosen as the Cardinals' franchise quarterback after they claimed the number one overall pick in the 2019 draft a year after selecting Rosen. Murray has proven to be a legitimate NFL quarterback and has been in MVP conversations for parts of two NFL seasons, but the nature of the NFL and its salary cap makes it easier for teams to build contenders while quarterbacks are on rookie contracts.
No one will know for sure if Williams or Maye are the types of quarterbacks to build around like that until they play in the NFL, but odds are they will. Arizona's salary cap opens up and they add even more picks to their arsenal that already includes having six picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 draft.
Another reason is that Josh Dobbs has proven to be a totally fine quarterback. While he does rank 30th in EPA + CPOE (completion percentage over expectation) score among 32 quarterbacks, he is completing 62.7% of his passes and averaging just under six yards per carry.
He's also been productive with his legs. He can guide the Cardinals through this season and not hamper their goals for the 2024 draft.
Why the Vikings do it
The Minnesota Vikings already had some concerns about paying Kirk Cousins. That is known because they have yet to extend him despite Cousins entering the final season of his contract. But, in a cruel turn of events, Cousins tore his Achilles tendon in Minnesota's game on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. The team confirmed the news Monday.
Not only do the Vikings not have an answer at quarterback long term, the only healthy quarterback on the roster at the moment is Jaren Hall, a fifth-round 25-year-old rookie from BYU. Murray is only seven months and 17 days older than Hall and is already a proven commodity.
Murray can come in and help the Vikings make a playoff push now (he practiced in full last week as he continues to rehab for his return from the torn ACL he suffered last season) and be their quarterback long-term.
The question will be what is a fair price for Murray. The Los Angeles Rams traded Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick for Matthew Stafford back in 2021.
Trading two firsts for Murray seems fair for both sides. For the Vikings, it might be their best option to replace Kirk Cousins.
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