After being released by the Arizona Cardinals, former No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray has quickly found a new home in the NFL – the Minnesota Vikings.
Murray, who spent seven seasons with the Cardinals, was officially released by the franchise at the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. Wednesday, giving him an opportunity to pick his next destination.
He now heads north to play for Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and several other insiders.
Two-time Pro Bowl QB Kyler Murray has signed a one-year contract with the Vikings, his agent @ErikBurkhardt tells me and @RapSheet.
The deal includes a no-tag clause. Murray will make $36.8 million this season, with Arizona paying all but the minimum salary. pic.twitter.com/ZUC9ADRc1A
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 12, 2026
He’ll do so on a one-year, veteran minimum contract due to the Cardinals still owing him more than $36 million guaranteed. Murray reportedly held Zoom meetings with quarterback-needy teams Wednesday night into Thursday morning. It’s possible Pittsburgh was one of those clubs, but no reporting has directly linked the two sides. Regardless, Murray is heading to Minnesota, the place where most insiders expected him to land.
There is no questioning the talent with Murray. He was the No. 1 pick in the NFL back in 2018 for a reason and showed his talents in the NFL during his first seven seasons. In his stint with the Cardinals, Murray went 38-48-1 as a starter in 87 games and threw for 20,460 yards with 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions.
Murray also rushed for 3,193 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 532 attempts in the desert, winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. He earned two trips to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021, playing some of his best football under then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Despite those strong numbers for Murray, things fell apart in Arizona. Kingsbury was later fired, then Murray struggled to stay healthy in recent years, suffering a torn ACL in 2022 and missing all but five games last season with a serious foot injury.
Now, he gets a chance to resurrect his promising career with a quarterback whisperer in O’Connell, who previously had great success with Sam Darnold in Minnesota before the Vikings let him walk in free agency last offseason. Minnesota had a turbulent year with second-year pro JJ McCarthy as the starter and went through the likes of Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer under center in 2025 as McCarthy dealt with injuries and poor play.
Murray now has a chance to compete for the starting job with McCarthy, and probably should be considered the favorite to win the job.
Prior to landing with the Vikings, there was some speculation that Murray could be a great fit with Pittsburgh under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy, who once raved about Murray ahead of a Cardinals-Cowboys matchup. But that never panned out as the Steelers have seemingly been waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision.
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