Jeff Diamond’s Vikings & NFL Insider · Talk North Podcast Network

Former Vikings' GM on all the moves

·25 min·1 clip

Baltimore's failed physical sent Max Crosby back to Vegas after a two-first-round-pick trade.

Jeff Diamond and Jim start with Kyler Murray as the week's central Vikings question. They treat the fit as both a football issue and a team-building one. Murray's talent is not in doubt. He was the first pick in the 2019 draft and a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. The concern is whether he can stay on the field. Jeff points to the injuries that have limited Murray over the last three years, including the foot issue that knocked him out last season and the knee injury from a couple of years earlier. The other concern is how committed he would be to studying and learning the offense. From there, the conversation moves into the rest of the roster puzzle. The show expects more changes in early free agency. Aaron Jones and Javon Hargrave are mentioned as likely releases. Jonathan Allen's contract becomes a live discussion point. Jeff still thinks Allen should be brought back because he played well at the end of last season. The pair also notes how often early free agency leads to big overpays. That becomes part of a larger argument for why signing players coming out of their first contract is often the safer move. Jalen Naylor's departure is treated as a real loss. Jeff says the Vikings have to replace that speed element. Ty Felton comes up as one possible answer, although he did not show much as a receiver last year. Receiver depth remains on the shopping list. A punter is also on the list after Ryan Wright left for New Orleans on a four-year, $14 million deal. The draft board is still fluid. Jeff says the Vikings could easily come out of the first two rounds with a safety-corner or corner-safety combination. A center could also be a target in the third round if they draft for need. The talk keeps circling back to cap mechanics. Jeff explains how big extensions can be structured to lower the near-term number. Justin Jefferson and Christian Derrissaw are both used as examples of deals that can free up room. He also says a Murray deal at roughly $1.3 million would be a huge cap boon if it ever happens. The episode ends with the sense that the Vikings still have a lot of moving parts to sort out, but that the money can be made to work.

As heard by us

A measured Vikings roster discussion about Kyler Murray, cap discipline, and the cost of getting help wrong.

Jeff Diamond's Vikings discussion stays focused on one central question: whether the team should sign Kyler Murray, and what that choice would mean in practice.

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Why you'd press play

Kyler Murray, cap space, and the Vikings' next moves.

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