The Vikings Splash on Kyler Murray

The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kyler Murray have agreed to a one-year deal that brings the former Arizona Cardinal and 2019 first overall pick to Minnesota. The deal includes a no-tag clause according to NFL insider, Tom Pelissero.

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Over the last couple of months, the talk around the Minnesota Vikings has been about who their quarterback will be going into 2026. The choices ranged from JJ McCarthy remaining the starter to having to compete with guys like Kirk Cousins or sitting behind Aaron Rodgers.

The Minnesota Vikings went with the option with the most upside, though, bringing in 28-year-old quarterback Kyler Murray on a veteran minimum deal. The Vikings got the luxury of bringing in Kyler at such a cheap deal due to the Cardinals paying his salary for the 2026 season. All the Vikings had to do was convince Murray to come play for them, and there is not a whole lot of convincing needed to get a quarterback to play for his childhood favorite team, throw to guys like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson, and also play alongside a Brian Flores defense.

Since 2022, it has been a bumpy ride for Kyler Murray, putting up a record of 16–25. You can only blame Kyler so much when you are playing for the Arizona Cardinals, but he still missed 27 games due to injury during that time span.

If the Vikings can get the 2020–21 version of Kyler Murray, when he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league, then they can certainly make a run in the 2026 season. The question is whether they can tap into that version of him.

Having a guy like Kevin O’Connell — infamous for resurrecting the career of Super Bowl–winning quarterback Sam Darnold — certainly is not a bad coach for Kyler Murray to have on his side in this situation. If Kevin O’Connell can help Kyler tap into his old form from before the Cardinals shipped away his superstar wide receiver, then it is certainly possible that the former first overall pick shows the league the talent he still has.

Kyler Murray will be heading into a team with an offensive line consisting of three Pro Bowl–level players, one of the best receiving corps in the league, and an extremely well-coached defense with a lot of talent on it.

This is an exciting move that comes bittersweet just two seasons after the Minnesota Vikings drafted JJ McCarthy 10th overall. Hopefully this is not the end for the 23-year-old quarterback in Minnesota, but just a stepping stone toward something bigger in the future for him.

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