BleedGopher
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ESPN: 2026 NFL offseason: NFC teams' best and worst deals, picks
The Vikings are getting Murray for the league minimum, with the Cardinals on the hook for the majority of what's owed to the former first overall pick in 2026. There's more to roster-building than sheer surplus value, but no deal has the potential to offer more upside in 2026 than this one. And given that the Vikings were facing down another season with J.J. McCarthy as their primary option under center, Murray addresses what might be their biggest position of need.
Barring the opportunity cost of finding out that McCarthy's suddenly the quarterback they expected to land in the first round two years ago, the Murray acquisition offers virtually no downside and a massive amount of upside.
Worst: Trading Jonathan Greenard for two third-round picks. I can understand why the Vikings traded Greenard. Although he was excellent when healthy in his two years with Minnesota, injuries limited him to three sacks in 12 games in Year 2 after he racked up 12 sacks in Year 1. The Vikings traded significant draft capital in 2024 to move up for Dallas Turner in the first round, and while I'm not sure his eight-sack total from 2025 really reflects Turner's true impact on the field, you can understand why the Vikings want to open up a starting role for the Alabama product. With Greenard wanting a new contract, a trade made sense.
However, defensive tackles like Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence landed first-round picks in deals, and edge rusher Maxx Crosby (briefly) netted the Raiders two first-rounders. Did the Vikings really do themselves any favors by waiting until late April to deal Greenard? They landed only a pair of third-round picks from the Eagles. One of those picks was the 98th selection in this year's draft, and it would be a surprise if the 2027 third-rounder landed anywhere before No. 90. Two late third-round picks isn't a ton for a player as explosive as Greenard, who was still blowing by people on tape at less than 100 percent a year ago.
The Vikings were facing a difficult cap situation this offseason, but the four-year, $98 million deal Greenard signed with the Eagles is structured in a team-friendly manner. Greenard will have cap hits of $6.2 million in 2026 and $11.1 million in 2027. The Eagles will face a potential dead cap hit for Greenard well down the line, but the Vikings could have opted to give Greenard this same deal while reducing his cap number by nearly $16 million in 2026 and more than $11 million in 2027 in the process.
I understand wanting to open up more snaps for Turner, but for what they landed and what they apparently needed to pay Greenard to make him happy, I'd rather have kept one of my best players around for another year or two.
www.espn.com
Skol Vikes!!
Minnesota Vikings
Best: Signing Kyler Murray to a one-year deal. Well, this one's easy. Even if you think Murray is the 20th-best quarterback in football, we've seen lesser QBs sign for massive deals in recent years in free agency. Malik Willis just got $45 million guaranteed over two years with the Dolphins. Justin Fields took home just over $20 million for his one year with the Jets. Daniel Jones, who might be a roughly comparable quarterback, landed a $50 million guarantee from the Colts while coming off a torn Achilles.The Vikings are getting Murray for the league minimum, with the Cardinals on the hook for the majority of what's owed to the former first overall pick in 2026. There's more to roster-building than sheer surplus value, but no deal has the potential to offer more upside in 2026 than this one. And given that the Vikings were facing down another season with J.J. McCarthy as their primary option under center, Murray addresses what might be their biggest position of need.
Barring the opportunity cost of finding out that McCarthy's suddenly the quarterback they expected to land in the first round two years ago, the Murray acquisition offers virtually no downside and a massive amount of upside.
Worst: Trading Jonathan Greenard for two third-round picks. I can understand why the Vikings traded Greenard. Although he was excellent when healthy in his two years with Minnesota, injuries limited him to three sacks in 12 games in Year 2 after he racked up 12 sacks in Year 1. The Vikings traded significant draft capital in 2024 to move up for Dallas Turner in the first round, and while I'm not sure his eight-sack total from 2025 really reflects Turner's true impact on the field, you can understand why the Vikings want to open up a starting role for the Alabama product. With Greenard wanting a new contract, a trade made sense.
However, defensive tackles like Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence landed first-round picks in deals, and edge rusher Maxx Crosby (briefly) netted the Raiders two first-rounders. Did the Vikings really do themselves any favors by waiting until late April to deal Greenard? They landed only a pair of third-round picks from the Eagles. One of those picks was the 98th selection in this year's draft, and it would be a surprise if the 2027 third-rounder landed anywhere before No. 90. Two late third-round picks isn't a ton for a player as explosive as Greenard, who was still blowing by people on tape at less than 100 percent a year ago.
The Vikings were facing a difficult cap situation this offseason, but the four-year, $98 million deal Greenard signed with the Eagles is structured in a team-friendly manner. Greenard will have cap hits of $6.2 million in 2026 and $11.1 million in 2027. The Eagles will face a potential dead cap hit for Greenard well down the line, but the Vikings could have opted to give Greenard this same deal while reducing his cap number by nearly $16 million in 2026 and more than $11 million in 2027 in the process.
I understand wanting to open up more snaps for Turner, but for what they landed and what they apparently needed to pay Greenard to make him happy, I'd rather have kept one of my best players around for another year or two.
2026 NFL offseason: NFC teams' best and worst deals, picks
We're picking out the offseason's highs (Vikings getting Kyler Murray on the veterans minimum) and lows (Niners taking Kaelon Black in Round 3) for every NFC team.
Skol Vikes!!
she’d be my uncle