The sounds of spring have taken over the state of Minnesota. The birds are singing, weathermen are promising double-digit snow totals, and Minnesota Vikings fans are arguing over their quarterback. The competitors are right in front of them. In one corner, the Vikings have J.J. McCarthy, owner of one of the most historically bad seasons by a signal caller in recent memory. In the other stands Kyler Murray, 5’9”, with an attitude and a giant wallet.
To most Vikings fans, bringing in Murray would be the final shovel of dirt on McCarthy’s tenure with the Vikings. But while McCarthy’s future may be in doubt, Murray may be the perfect hedge as Minnesota tries to set itself up for long-term success.
Long-term success has been the theme of the Vikings’ offseason. Interim GM Rob Brzezinski hasn’t jumped at the chance to throw a big-money contract at a mediocre free agent. He’s also let players like Jalen Nailor walk. Nailor had value as a No. 3 receiver, but not at the three-year, $35 million contract he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Even a player like Jonathan Greenard, who is worthy of a contract extension, is more likely to get traded than get the bag, leaving the Vikings feeling like a team with an identity crisis going into 2026.
But nothing compares to what is happening at quarterback. If you listened to Kevin O’Connell and Brzezinski at the NFL Combine, it’s clear that they like McCarthy, but they’re not in love with him. Issues with his accuracy, footwork, and maturity are all things McCarthy needs to work on in his first healthy offseason since college. It would be malpractice for the Vikings to hand him the starting job instead of hedging their bets and having a better transition in 2027.
Therefore, the Vikings want a quarterback, but not one who would force them to abandon their long-term vision.
That’s where Murray comes into play.
Kyler Murray is a former No. 1-overall pick, but he didn’t become a franchise quarterback. Murray has started 87 games over seven years with the Arizona Cardinals and has been a serviceable starter, averaging roughly 4,000 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions per 17 games. His rushing ability, which has accounted for another 3,193 yards and 32 touchdowns, has added flash to his game.
Can't touch Kyler Murray 😳 @K1 #AZCardinals
📺: #AZvsSF on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/5o8cWoN1yf pic.twitter.com/wY0w8v9T1f
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2020
Still, the Cardinals eventually moved on because McCarthy was inconsistent.
Of course, these details are cited as reasons why Murray wouldn’t be a fit in O’Connell’s offense. O’Connell wants his quarterback to dissect defenses in the pocket and attack downfield. Murray often creates out of structure, using his legs to escape the gargantuan linemen that block his vision. Fans are also scared by the failed Joshua Dobbs experiment from 2023 and believe O’Connell wouldn’t know what to do with that skill set.
But it also makes sense compared to the alternatives. ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that the Vikings “were known to be interested” in Geno Smith before the Las Vegas Raiders traded him to the New York Jets on Tuesday. Kirk Cousins, who led the Vikings to a 13-win season and an NFC North title under O’Connell in 2022, also became available after his release from the Atlanta Falcons. Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr are lurking in the shadows, and it would be easy for the Vikings to pivot to one of those as opposed to trying to fit their offense under Murray.
Still, Kyler Murray might be the best option out there. Aside from having more upside than his counterparts, Murray also shares some similarities with McCarthy. He has the arm and legs to make plays, but the biggest problem is getting them to materialize consistently.
Murray has been able to do it under the guise of an RPO-heavy, college-style offense led by Kliff Kingsbury. Still, he was also efficient paired with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, completing 67.8% of his passes for 6,612 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions in 30 games the past three seasons.
Those numbers are the steady baseline that the Vikings are looking for at quarterback. But it also opens the door for McCarthy in various ways.
If J.J. McCarthy makes a major leap this summer, the Vikings aren’t tied into Kyler Murray; he’ll sign for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million. If that’s clear by the end of training camp, the Vikings can shop Murray and get a pick in return, helping their reset process that appears to be focused on building through the draft.
That would also be an impressive way for McCarthy to earn the starting job. Beating Smith, who led the league in interceptions and sacks taken last year, would have been a house of cards. Beating out Cousins, Carr, or Rodgers would also be impressive, but not as much considering Cousins and Rodgers are old and Carr would be coming out of retirement.
Kyler Murray has also missed time due to injury in four of the past five seasons. An injury during the season could give McCarthy a chance to step into the starting role and give the Vikings a look at his progress. If he looks good, Minnesota could choose to roll with him or use him as a data point when they decide what to do with Murray at the end of the season.
Then there’s the whole “Sam Darnold” scenario. If Murray balls out, the Vikings are going to be tempted to make up for letting Darnold leave for the Seattle Seahawks and win a Super Bowl a few months later. But even if the Vikings are in that situation, they have more data to work with this time around.
The Indianapolis Colts may have given the Vikings a blueprint with how they handled Daniel Jones this offseason. After leaving the Vikings to lead the Colts to an 8-5 record before tearing his Achilles tendon, Indianapolis used the transition tag to give them the right to match any offer he would get from another team. Ultimately, the Colts also worked out a short-term two-year, $88 million contract, which gives them flexibility if Jones turns back into a pumpkin next season.
In the Vikings case, tagging Murray and trading McCarthy would be one scenario. But they could also go the opposite direction if McCarthy has shown enough progress behind the scenes, giving a 24-year-old McCarthy the keys to the offense in 2027.
All of that should appeal to the Vikings, who continue to want to thread the needle. While Kyler Murray could keep them competitive, they still want to keep their options open for McCarthy, bringing an unlikely fit that the Vikings have been looking for.