{"id":533277,"date":"2026-03-11T12:40:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T12:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/533277\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T12:40:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T12:40:23","slug":"kyler-murray-or-tua-tagovailoa-could-end-up-being-the-best-bargains-in-nfl-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/533277\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa could end up being the best bargains in NFL free agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyler Murray<\/a> or Tua Tagovailoa<\/a> could end up being the best bargains in free agency if either quarterback can regain their Pro Bowl form.<\/p>\n

While NFL<\/a> teams have committed billions of dollars on the first two days of the legal tampering period, the Atlanta Falcons<\/a> snagged Tagovailoa for the veteran\u2019s minimum of $1.2 million. The Dolphins<\/a> owe him $54 million.<\/p>\n

Murray will cost a team $1.3 million because the Cardinals<\/a> are on the hook for $36.8 million of his remaining salary that was guaranteed.<\/p>\n

The Super Bowl<\/a> champion Seattle Seahawks<\/a> got their quarterback in free agency last year. Could Tagovailoa or Murray lead a team to a Lombardi trophy? Probably not.<\/p>\n

But they don\u2019t have to win a championship to bring value.<\/p>\n

The Falcons haven\u2019t reached the playoffs since the 2017 season but play in a division \u2014 the NFC South \u2014 where they finished tied with the Panthers<\/a> and Buccaneers<\/a> at 8-9 and lost the division title to Carolina due to tiebreakers. They have talent on offense led by All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson<\/a>. If Tagovailoa can help them end their playoff drought, he\u2019d be a steal at that salary.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old 2020 first-round pick is coming off his worst season in the league but he\u2019s 44-32 as a starter. Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 yards passing in 2023 and made the Pro Bowl that season.<\/p>\n

With Robinson, wide receiver Drake London<\/a> and tight end Kyle Pitts<\/a> around him, Tagovailoa has a strong supporting cast. It\u2019s up to two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski to help him maximize his potential. Stefanski led the Browns<\/a> to the playoffs with Baker Mayfield<\/a> once and Joe Flacco another season.<\/p>\n

Tagovailoa could potentially thrive in Stefanski\u2019s system. He needs to stay healthy, leave his struggles in the past and improve his decision-making with the ball.<\/p>\n

Murray, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, could step into a situation where he could win right away. The Vikings<\/a> and Steelers<\/a> are possibilities.<\/p>\n

Minnesota has J.J. McCarthy<\/a>, a first-round pick in 2024 who was 6-4 last season in 10 starts. But he\u2019s not guaranteed the starting job and Murray is an option for a team that has talent on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n

Vikings coach Kevin O\u2019Connell was the AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2024 when he helped Darnold revive his career and the team went 14-3. Of all the innovative, offensive-minded coaches who could get Murray to reach his full potential, O\u2019Connell is among the top candidates.<\/p>\n

The Steelers are another possibility for Murray if Aaron Rodgers<\/a> isn\u2019t returning. They\u2019ve added more offensive firepower in free agency, acquiring wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a> in a trade to team with DK Metcalf<\/a>. Pittsburgh also agreed on a deal with running back Rico Dowdle<\/a>. Coach Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl with a young Rodgers in Green Bay 16 years ago. He could give Murray an opportunity to flourish.<\/p>\n

Several other veteran quarterbacks are also available, excluding Daniel Jones<\/a>, who received the transition tag from Indianapolis. The Colts<\/a> could match any offer for him.<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins<\/a>, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo, Carson Wentz<\/a> and Joe Flacco are among the names on the list. So is Rodgers, though it’s likely he’s either returning to Pittsburgh or retiring. <\/p>\n

Geno Smith<\/a> would have hit the open market on Wednesday because the Raiders<\/a> planned to release him but the Jets<\/a> got him in a trade. New York hasn\u2019t had a winning season since 2015.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa could end up being the best bargains in free agency if either quarterback…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[626,1258,1276,64,63,6576,5358,1257,55565,1238,625,5367,1282,1280,241782,5380,1233,5352,1239,9139,593,1241,92282,1254,85,7508,1247,5379],"class_list":{"0":"post-533277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-aaron-rodgers","9":"tag-arizona-cardinals","10":"tag-atlanta-falcons","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-baker-mayfield","14":"tag-bijan-robinson","15":"tag-carolina-panthers","16":"tag-carson-wentz","17":"tag-cleveland-browns","18":"tag-dk-metcalf","19":"tag-drake-london","20":"tag-j-j-mccarthy","21":"tag-kirk-cousins","22":"tag-kyle-pitts-sr","23":"tag-kyler-murray","24":"tag-miami-dolphins","25":"tag-michael-pittman-jr","26":"tag-minnesota-vikings","27":"tag-national-football-league","28":"tag-nfl","29":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","30":"tag-rico-dowdle","31":"tag-seattle-seahawks","32":"tag-sports","33":"tag-super-bowl","34":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","35":"tag-tua-tagovailoa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}