Heading into the offseason, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy's standing as the team’s long-term answer was already under serious scrutiny.
An uneven 2025 campaign, marked by injury setbacks and inconsistent play, fueled growing questions about whether McCarthy is ready to shoulder the full weight of an NFL franchise.
By the time the season ended, that uncertainty had become one of the league's most closely watched storylines.
Then came Tuesday.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Arizona Cardinals are moving toward officially releasing Kyler Murray at the start of the new league year, a move that immediately thrusts Murray into the free-agent spotlight and places Minnesota firmly in the conversation.
“He's going to cost whichever team he lands with next to nothing. It's going to be the minimum because the Arizona Cardinals are paying for most of the contract, so it is as low-risk as can possibly be," Rapoport said.
"And because we have seen Kyler Murray play some excellent, impressive football over the last several years, there is going to be someone who believes they can get the best out of him and use him as their starter for several years.
"A place to keep an eye on would be the Minnesota Vikings. They want to bring in a veteran alongside J.J. McCarthy. Kyler Murray makes a lot of sense for Minnesota," he added.
Selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray entered the league with massive expectations, and early on, he showed exactly why.
He captured Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2020 and 2021, and quickly established himself as one of the NFL's most electrifying dual-threat quarterbacks when healthy.
Over seven seasons with Arizona, Murray threw for 121 touchdown passes and rushed for 32 more, joining an exclusive group of quarterbacks with 20,000+ passing yards and 3,000+ rushing yards in their career.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing, though.
Murray's tenure in Arizona was repeatedly disrupted by injuries. He missed significant time in both 2023 and 2025, with a foot injury in '25 ultimately ending his season after just five starts.
That uneven availability, paired with a 38-48-1 record as a starter and only one playoff appearance, cooled some of the early optimism surrounding his long-term prospects.
Still, the high peaks from earlier in his career remind evaluators of what he can be when fully healthy.
Arizona still owes Murray $36.8 million guaranteed for 2026, meaning any team that signs him would likely do so on a veteran minimum deal, making this one of the lowest-risk quarterback acquisitions in recent memory.
That matters a lot for Minnesota, a franchise eager to stabilize the most critical position on the field without mortgaging the future in the process.
With Murray's release expected to become official on March 11, the next week will be crucial.
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