Something expected happened. Just as Kyler Murray was finally released by the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings signed him to a one-year deal during the free agency period. He signed for the $1.3 million veteran minimum.
Murray will compete for the starting job against J.J. McCarthy who has disappointed since he was selected 10th overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
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The Cardinals had announced that they would release Murray on the first day of the NFL league
year, which began Thursday. The Vikings did not waste any time getting with Murray’s agent to work out the deal. One of Murray’s desires with a new team was the opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback role. Another reason is that he wanted to go to a team that had playoff implications.
At age 28, Murray’s playing career is on a clock, so being able to get back into the postseason is at the top of most players’ lists who have already gotten bank from this league. Murray has only played in one playoff game in his seven years in the NFL. In 2021, Arizona went 11-5-0 under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams 34-11 in the Wild Card round. The Cardinals haven’t been back since.
The Vikings finished 9-8-0 last year but were 14-3-0 the season before under head coach Kevin O’Connell. They were also defeated by the Rams 27-9 in their only playoff game. The Vikings media and fanbase believe that the lack of a good quarterback is their main deterrent, and perhaps Murray is the answer that can flip the franchise back to being an elite roster.
One odd clause in Murray’s contract is that he demanded Minnesota could not franchise or transition tag him if he stayed longer than a single season. This would allow him to seek a new deal in free agency once again if he wishes, although he has already stated to the media he intends on winning the job and retiring as a Viking.
Murray will be paid $36.8 million this year, with $1.3 million coming from the Vikings and the Cardinals paying the balance.
The offensive setup in Minnesota will be a huge positive for Murray. His receivers are Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, with tight end T.J. Hockerson, RB Aaron Jones, and an offensive line that ranked #18 in 2025. Murray’s offensive line in Arizona ranked #29, while both starting running backs ended up on IR.
On his new roster, Murray told ESPN:
“I cannot wait. I cannot wait to touch that field and be a Minnesota Viking.”
Oddly enough, Murray grew up a Vikings fan despite being raised in Allen, Texas. The reason is that he played for a youth team called the “Vikings,” and found out about the real Minnesota Vikings and started following them as his favorite club.
Meanwhile, O’Connell, a former quarterback himself and at one time a private QB instructor, was looking for a seasoned veteran to compete with McCarthy for the starting gig. He was hired as head coach in 2022 and was voted “NFL Coach of the Year” in 2024. Which is another huge plus for Murray.
O’Connell told Kevin Seifert of ESPN Minnesota:
“It’s March. We signed Kyler today. And what I can tell you is the goal of adding a talented player like Kyler to the room was to create a world where guys are pushing each other. And guys are by their own growth and development, or their own ascension, are not only just doing that themselves, but they’re creating a new standard. And elevating that floor so that will benefit not only those players individually, it’ll benefit the collective group of guys in the room.”
The addition of Murray was not a huge surprise to McCarthy, as it had been discussed in the media numerous times that the franchise needed a veteran to come in and compete, and become a mentor and tutor for the young signalcaller. Or outright win the job.
O’Connell explained:
“(McCarthy) knew we were going to be adding somebody to the room. He knew that that didn’t change anything about his mindset and focus on improving and attacking this offseason the right way. And I’m really proud of him for that and excited to get to get back on the grass and in the meeting room with him when that time comes.”
Hours after Murray was released from the Cardinals, he was already at the Vikings’ team facilities in Eagan, Minnesota, being shown around and meeting coaches and front office personnel. O’Connell said he treated the visit as a two-way interview. They had a huge interest in Murray and wanted the player to see that he could flourish with his new team.
Said O’Connell:
“I think it’s important that Kyler learned a lot about me, learned a lot about who I am authentically every day in this building, because I think that’s a big part of building that relationship so that you can coach a guy hard and you can help him improve and be a really consistent player within our team.”
On the flipside, the Cardinals have moved on from Murray when they inked journeyman QB Gardner Minshew to a one-year deal this past week to compete with both Jacoby Brissett and Kedon Slovis.
Murray was 38-48-1 with Arizona. He played in 87 games with 1,974 completions on 2,941 attempts for 20,460 yards, a 67.1% completion percentage, tossed 121 touchdowns against 60 interceptions, 1,005 first down conversions, a QB rating of 92.2, was sacked 195 times, and suffered 100 drops. He also rushed 532 times for 3,193 yards and scored an additional 32 TDs.
He made the NFL All-Rookie Team, voted “NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year” (2019), and was named to the Pro Bowl twice (2020, 2021).
Murray told ESPN he is already impressed with the Vikings organization:
“I met a lot of genuine, real people. They’ve done nothing but treat me with great respect and love so far since I’ve been here. I’m very appreciative of how today went.”
