Kyler Murray, Geno Smith & Kirk Cousins Among Vikings’ Top QB Targets

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano write that the buzz at the Combine around the Vikings involves them adding a veteran quarterback, with Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Las Vegas’ Geno Smith two of their top targets. 

Fowler adds Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has also come up, and there continue to be connections about a reunion between Minnesota and Falcons QB Kirk Cousins. 

Some of the people Fowler talked to grouped Murray and Smith together with Tagovailoa and Cousins as fallbacks. Graziano also mentioned QBs Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers, who Minnesota considered signing last year. 

While none of the group of Murray, Smith, Cousins and Tagovailoa are currently free agents, Fowler says the strong expectation is that all of them are released at some point in the next week or so. 

The Vikings could also trade for another developmental quarterback like Colts QB Anthony Richardson or Eagles QB Tanner McKee, per Graziano, but that would be more about adding depth than adding competition for QB J.J. McCarthy. 

Murray, 28, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cardinals after making the decision to pursue an NFL career, despite being drafted in the first round by the Oakland A’s in 2018. 

Murray signed a four-year, $35,158,644 deal that included a $23,589,924 signing bonus. The Cardinals officially exercised his fifth-year option, which is projected to be worth $29.7 million for the 2023 season. 

Murray then signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension that includes $160 million guaranteed with Arizona back in 2022. 

In 2025, Murray appeared in five games for the Cardinals and completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Cousins, 37, is a former fourth-round pick of Washington back in 2012. He played out the final year of his rookie contract before being franchised in back-to-back seasons. 

Cousins later departed in free agency for a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings. He was entering the final year of his contract in 2020 when he agreed to a two-year, $66 million contract extension. In 2021, he agreed to a new one-year, $35 million contract extension that was also fully guaranteed.

He was in the final year of that deal in 2023 and was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent when signing with the Falcons this offseason. He inked a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guaranteed money. 

In 2025, Cousins appeared in 10 games for the Falcons, starting eight, and completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

Smith, 35, is a former second-round pick of the Jets back in 2013 out of West Virginia. He played out the final year of his four-year, $5.019 million contract before signing a one-year contract worth $2 million with the Giants in 2017.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Chargers for the 2018 season before joining the Seahawks in 2019. He returned on one-year deals each of the following three seasons before being named the starter in 2022. 

He signed a three-year extension with the Seahawks worth $105 million in March of 2023. Smith was in the final year of his deal and set to make a $14.8 million base salary in 2025 when the Seahawks traded him to the Raiders for a third-round pick. He then signed a new two-year, $75 million extension. 

In 2025, Smith appeared in 15 games for the Raiders and completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. 

We’ll have more on the Vikings’ quarterback plans as the news is available.