Albert Breer’s Free Agency Notes: All Signs Point to One Kyler Murray Landing Spot

With his release now official, the former Cardinals quarterback and one team seem to be an excellent match for the 2026 season.

Kyler Murray was officially released Wednesday, paving the way for him to join a new team for 2026. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Happy 2026, everyone …

Kyler Murray’s finally free—and all signs point to Minnesota.

The Vikings have done plenty of research into potential quarterback reclamation projects over the last couple months, to see if they can hit on one the way they hit on Sam Darnold two years ago. The one name that’s consistently come up is Murray’s. And from a football standpoint, both because of the past work Kevin O’Connell’s done with guys like Darnold and Daniel Jones and the Vikings’ roster, this makes sense for Murray.

Most quarterbacks would want to play with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones, and behind a line anchored by Christian Darrisaw.

But it’s not just a football fit. It’s a financial fit too. Murray’s guaranteed $36.8 million for the 2026 season, and the Cardinals are responsible for all of it, minus what he gets from his new team. That flexibility to go play for the $1.215 million veteran minimum allows for Murray to focus on the football part of it with the finances being a non-issue and allows for the Vikings to bring in high-upside, low-cost competition for J.J. McCarthy.

It all makes a ton of sense, and has for a while.

Now we’ll see if Murray and Minnesota can cross the goal line together.

Biggest Problem for Ravens in Nixed Maxx Crosby Deal

I’d believe Ravens GM Eric DeCosta when he says he’s “gutted” that the Maxx Crosby trade didn’t work out. He’s told people that Crosby is his favorite non-Raven in football, and he and his new coaching staff were dancing in the streets when the deal was agreed to last Friday night. It was a chance to fill a major hole with a player who fit what the Ravens look for culturally in about every way (though Crosby does that for pretty much everyone).

So what was the biggest problem?

My sense is it comes down to the question of longevity. A meniscus injury can be a difficult one for an older player to come back from, and carries a high risk of arthritis down the line. The issue for Crosby was never going to be whether or not he could play this year—he’s expected to be cleared in June or early July. It was whether or not the injury could shorten his career.

Say, then, that the doctors told DeCosta that Crosby’s knee might be a real problem in just a year or two. At that point, it’d be tough for anyone to sign off on trading two first-round picks for him, especially with the prospect that he could seek a new deal after the season, at which point Will Anderson Jr. may have pushed the edge rusher market to $50 million per year.

On the flip side, there are few players that I’d bet on like I’d bet on Crosby, based on who he is, how he works and what he’s accomplished. But these medical situations can be tricky.

And there’s enough grey area in assessing the risk of taking on someone like Crosby to justify either side of the argument on this one. That’s why, in the end, I think this whole situation just kind of sucks for everyone involved.

The Cowboys traded Osa Odighizuwa (97) to the 49ers for a third-round pick on Wednesday. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Why the Cowboys-49ers Trade Makes So Much Sense

The Cowboys and 49ers trade that sent Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco is one of those that makes sense for everyone involved.

The Niners are building their defensive line back up, and the aggressive, attacking upfield 3-technique Odighizuwa is perfect for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and line coach Kris Kocurek. He also should be good for 2025 rookies Alfred Collins and C.J. West on the inside of that front, with Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams coming back off injury at the ends.

Also, San Francisco has four fourth-round picks, which gives them a little more flexibility with their third-rounder, the 92nd pick overall.

Dallas was in the opposite spot—their second- and third-rounders were traded away in deals for Quinnen Williams and George Pickens. And their defensive line, with new coordinator Christian Parker coming in and implementing the Vic Fangio scheme, had a surplus of tackles, with Williams and Kenny Clark on hand.

So this one made a lot of sense for everyone involved.

Least Surprising Signing of the Week

Least surprising signing of this week: Kevin Byard to the Patriots. Byard was a warrior for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee over the years, and Vrabel went so far as to put out a written statement when the Titans traded Byard to the Eagles ahead of the deadline in 2023.

The Patriots lost a good safety in Jaylinn Hawkins, but they replaced him with a battleship commander for the secondary who should be great for 2025 rookie Craig Woodson.

More News and Notes

• The Commanders aren’t messing around in trying to fix their pass-rush—importing former first-rounders Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, both coming off career years, as well as Chiefs edge-rusher Charles Omenihu. Dan Quinn’s defense puts a premium on athletic, long guys up front and those guys all fit that bill.

• Bradley Chubb is a sensible signing for a Bills team that has a serious edge rush need. Chubb turns 30 this year, and has a significant injury history. But he’s a really solid three-down player. So long as he’s healthy, the Bills know what they’re getting.

• The Daniel Jones deal is a good example of the leverage quarterbacks have. If he played on the transition tag this year, and was tagged again next year, it would’ve been logistically impossible to tag him a third time in 2028. Which would have given Jones the same leverage points that Dak Prescott had over the Cowboys before getting a deal at $60 million per year. It’s better for the Colts to just do a two-year deal now and pay a little more than the tag, then have to pay such a heavy price if he plays as well as the team thinks he can.

• The Tisch family didn’t just do the right thing, they did the only thing in ceding their piece of the Giants to their children’s trust, with New York co-owner Steve Tisch under scrutiny for his name surfacing repeatedly in the Epstein files.

• The Browns reworked their middle of their line, with the presumed starters going forward being Zion Johnson and Teven Jenkins at guard, and Elgton Jenkins at center. It’ll be interesting to see where the new coaching staff winds up taking that group.

• Among the names to watch from here on out: Packers OT Rasheed Walker, Browns OGs Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, Bills DE Joey Bosa, Commanders LB Bobby Wagner, Patriots WR Stefon Diggs, Browns TE David Njoku and Commanders WR Deebo Samuel.

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