The Minnesota Vikings found their potential J.J. McCarthy replacement, as the team announced Thursday that it signed former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Murray agreed to terms on a one-year, veteran minimum deal a day after the Cardinals released him. Murray will now get a fresh start in the NFC North.
Murray's salary from the Vikings will come in addition to the $36.8 million the Cardinals still owe him. That Murray could be had on the cheap was a significant reason he ranked No. 11 on Pete Prisco's Top 100 free agents and was the top quarterback on the market.
The 2026 season will mark the start of a new era for Murray, who spent the first seven years of his career in Arizona after his selection as the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. A clean slate in Minnesota could be beneficial for the former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, who plateaued in Arizona and never delivered the team success the Cardinals sought.
With the Vikings, Murray steps into a good situation and should benefit from playing with a stellar receiving unit that includes Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. The supporting cast sets him up to hit the ground running; the question is whether he can stay healthy. He missed the final 12 games of last season with a foot injury and missed sizable parts of the 2022 and 2023 campaigns after sustaining a torn ACL.
If he stays on the field, there is plenty of reason to believe Murray will thrive on a new roster. He is a two-time Pro Bowl talent who regularly flirts with 4,000 passing yards when he plays a full season, and he has long been among the more dangerous runners at the quarterback position.
The Vikings always figured to be in play for the top quarterbacks in free agency after McCarthy struggled to take firm control of the starting job over the first two years of his career. Last year was his de facto rookie campaign after he missed the 2024 season with a torn meniscus, and it was far from inspiring. The former No. 10 overall pick finished last in the NFL in completion rate (57.6) and threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11).
When healthy, Murray is an obvious upgrade over McCarthy and thus should be expected to handle the starting duties in 2026. But the Vikings could drag out a quarterback competition throughout the offseason, which would likely benefit both players, especially the still-developing McCarthy.
If the Vikings remain committed to shaping McCarthy into an eventual starter, bringing Murray in as a veteran mentor could prove to be an effective strategy, as well.
