Ben SolakMar 5, 2026, 06:30 AM ETCloseBen Solak joined ESPN in 2024 as a national NFL analyst. He previously covered the NFL at The Ringer, Bleeding Green Nation and The Draft Network.Multiple Authors
play2:14What will be the deciding factor in where Kyler Murray lands?The “Get Up” crew reacts to the news that the Cardinals are set to release Kyler Murray and discusses where he could end up next.
play2:05Will Kenneth Walker III still be with the Seahawks next season?The “Get Up” crew debates whether the Seahawks should do all they can to keep Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.
play1:21The teams Ben Solak expects to be in on Malik WillisBen Solak joins Rich Eisen to break down the interest he expects for free agent quarterback Malik Willis.
play1:23Peter Schrager: It’s cost-prohibitive for Eagles to trade A.J. Brown before June 1Peter Schrager breaks down the challenges the Eagles would face in trading A.J. Brown right now.
play2:24Is there any way the Eagles don’t trade A.J. Brown?Mike Tannenbaum, Dan Orlovsky and Peter Schrager debate whether the Eagles should trade A.J. Brown.
Why Stephen A. doesn’t want Kyler Murray to sign with the Jets (1:20)Stephen A. Smith sounds off on why he thinks the Jets should be Kyler Murray’s last option. (1:20)
What will be the deciding factor in where Kyler Murray lands?The “Get Up” crew reacts to the news that the Cardinals are set to release Kyler Murray and discusses where he could end up next.
The “Get Up” crew reacts to the news that the Cardinals are set to release Kyler Murray and discusses where he could end up next.
Will Kenneth Walker III still be with the Seahawks next season?The “Get Up” crew debates whether the Seahawks should do all they can to keep Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.
The “Get Up” crew debates whether the Seahawks should do all they can to keep Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.
The teams Ben Solak expects to be in on Malik WillisBen Solak joins Rich Eisen to break down the interest he expects for free agent quarterback Malik Willis.
Ben Solak joins Rich Eisen to break down the interest he expects for free agent quarterback Malik Willis.
Peter Schrager: It’s cost-prohibitive for Eagles to trade A.J. Brown before June 1Peter Schrager breaks down the challenges the Eagles would face in trading A.J. Brown right now.
Is there any way the Eagles don’t trade A.J. Brown?Mike Tannenbaum, Dan Orlovsky and Peter Schrager debate whether the Eagles should trade A.J. Brown.
Where will Kyler Murray land — and how will he make his decision?
I love NFL free agency. I love the oxymoronic legal tampering window. I love the preposterously large deals that will almost inevitably look bad in two seasons. I love the one-year deals that end up season-changing bargains. And I love watching 32 fan bases talk themselves into every single move their teams make.
With a salary cap over $300 million and fresh off a season in which the conference champion Seahawks and Patriots were two of the biggest free agency spenders the prior offseason, this year feels particularly charged for surprising action. I have too many questions — Will Alontae Taylor sign as an outside corner or as a slot? Can Charlie Kolar get a Josh Oliver sort of deal? — to fit in one article, so I boiled it down to the biggest nine.
Jump to a question on: Kyler Murray | Vikings | Offensive line Seahawks | Running backs | Edges Malik Willis | Linebackers | A.J. Brown
By this time next week, Murray will almost certainly be a free agent. The only way he isn’t available is if another team trades for him. But his contract isn’t particularly trade-friendly, and everyone knows he’s getting released anyway. So he’ll be a free agent.
Now, most free agents have to balance a few considerations when they pick their new teams. The first and most obvious is contract size. But things such as scheme fit, roster competition and quality of life in that particular city are also worth consideration.
Murray isn’t a typical free agent, though. He has been cut with $36.8 million in guarantees remaining on his contract, and that guaranteed money has offset language. Any money on a new deal with another team would just be subtracted off what the Cardinals already owe, giving Arizona relative cap relief. For that reason, he’ll sign a veterans minimum contract for $1.3 million with whatever team he joins, forcing the Cardinals to pay out the remaining $35.5 million Murray is due.
This removes the main consideration of free agency from Murray’s decision. Save for a surprising contract offer that includes multiple years — which is possible but unlikely — Murray’s financial situation will be the same no matter where he signs: a one-year prove-it deal that lets him return to free agency in 2027. (We saw this with Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh in 2024, with his contract in Denver having similar offset language.)
This leveling of the playing field makes Murray an interesting candidate for the Vikings. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has garnered a reputation for quarterback rehabilitation. Kirk Cousins had one of his best seasons under O’Connell in 2022 and was on another tear in 2023 before an Achilles injury. The story of Sam Darnold’s 2024 season is old hat. Even Daniel Jones kickstarted his career resurgence with a cup of coffee on the Minnesota sideline.
But the Vikings are strapped for cash. Outgoing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent aggressively while building around the rookie contract of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. But after many of his moves went poorly — and after McCarthy crashed and burned last season — the Vikings are left with little financial flexibility and a big need at QB1. Murray seems like a godsend to their problems.
Every potential Murray landing spot has an enticing pro and a debilitating con. That’s what makes his ensuing decision so tricky. Find the right spot, and Murray could be in line for a fat extension this time next year. Make the wrong choice, and it’s another year on the carousel of bad teams handing out bottom-of-the-market deals.
What will be the deciding factor in where Kyler Murray lands?
I already touched on them above, but the Vikings are an interesting team this offseason. Let’s start with the obvious: They do not have a general manager.
It’s generally not good to approach free agency without a general manager, as the GM is the person who … runs free agency. Of course, the Vikings can backfill the role with the collective weight of their pro scouting department, the 30-plus years of experience from interim general manager Rob Brzezinski and some helpful nudges from a coaching staff that already had a ton of personnel influence. But still … no general manager makes them tough to read.
Will Kenneth Walker III still be with the Seahawks next season?
Here’s a simple truth in two parts. The first: There’s a lot of money in the league right now. The salary cap is at $301.2 million; six years ago, it was under $200 million. That’s a 50% increase in just six years. That’s a lot of cheddar.
This is a fair description of free agency overall. Elite players don’t make the open market, but teams have money to spend, and competition drives contracts up. But each year manifests its overspending a little differently, and this year, my suspicion is that the offensive line will be the group to benefit.
Nature abhors a vacuum, and the cap does, too. Cade Mays (Panthers) and Connor McGovern (Bills) are hitting free agency after strong 2025 seasons. McGovern is 28; Mays is turning 27. Both have positional versatility as well. I don’t think Mays can get all the way up to McCoy’s deal, but McGovern very well might.
More significant than the available players are the desperate needs. The Texans, who just traded away two offensive linemen, have holes all across their line, and they have two rising free agents of their own in Ed Ingram and Trent Brown. The Browns, who just acquired Tytus Howard from the Texans, are still looking for new starters at almost every position besides Howard’s right tackle spot. Both teams are desperate for offensive line relief, and both teams don’t have a lot of cap space.
But the Raiders, Titans and Chargers do! The current leaders in 2026 cap space have needs at center and guard alike. The Bears need a new center now that Dalman has retired, and their left tackle spot is entirely up for grabs following the late-season injury to Ozzy Trapilo. The Lions still must beef up their interior following the Juice Scruggs trade, and the Ravens need help on the interior even before factoring in the expected loss of Linderbaum.
With all the cash floating around this offseason and few star free agents to spend it on, my expectation is that players such as Braden Smith, Rasheed Walker and Zion Johnson sign for deals that seem hugely disproportionate to their talent level. Anything for a functional line these days.
Call this question less of a pressing conundrum with leaguewide ramifications and more of a personal curiosity. The Seahawks have a lot of rising free agents, including running back Kenneth Walker III, safety Coby Bryant, cornerback Riq Woolen, cornerback Josh Jobe, receiver Rashid Shaheed and edge rusher Boye Mafe. Such is the fate of the Super Bowl champions: The talent starts to drain away.
Seattle will also be active in outside free agency. It was tremendous in pro personnel last offseason (signing receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence) and should kick around the middle tiers of deals once again. Improvements to the interior offensive line and defensive line depth make sense to me.
The teams Ben Solak expects to be in on Malik Willis
Walker also showed out as a pass catcher down the stretch, and his acquiring team will likely scheme up designed targets on early downs as Klint Kubiak started to in December and January. The physical skill set of a dominant three-down back has been in Walker’s game for a while now, but it finally seemed like the pieces came together through 2025.
Serious question here. All contract considerations equal, who would you rather employ for the next … two seasons?