Kyler Murray has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Notably, he'll play for the league minimum, which is roughly $1.3 million, and his deal reportedly includes a clause that prohibits the Vikings from using the franchise tag on his next season.
"Murray traveled to Minnesota Wednesday and spent Thursday meeting with Vikings coaches and front-office staff before inking the deal," the Vikings announced.
Murray was released on Wednesday after seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, where he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. In 87 games, Murray completed 67.1% of his passes for 20,461 yards with 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions. He also rushed for 3,193 yards and 32 touchdowns.
The 28-year-old has a chance to put up big numbers with the Vikings in 2026 and then sign a multi-year contract and return to the big-money quarterback he was with the Cardinals. His opportunity with the Vikings is similar to what Sam Darnold had in 2024, when he led the Vikings to 14 wins before signing a three-year, $105 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
It's also similar to what Daniel Jones just experienced. After being a castoff in New York, he signed with Minnesota late in the 2024 season to learn under Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. That led him to a deal with the Indianapolis Colts, where he put up big numbers before suffering a torn Achilles late last season. Despite his injury, the Colts rewarded him with a two-year, $88 million contract, including $60 million guaranteed.
Last week, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported on his podcast that there is "[immense internal support](https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi/news/with-immense-support-from-vikings-dots-connect-kyler-murray-to-minnesota)" in Minnesota for Murray, noting that "some of the Vikings players appreciate what Kyler has done within the NFL."
Kyler Murray | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Because he's still getting paid over $36 million in guaranteed money from the Cardinals this year, Murray was available on a minimum salary. The offset language in his previous deal meant that if the Vikings paid him any more than the minimum, it would reduce what Arizona owed him. So for Murray, it always made sense to collect checks from his old team and let his new team get him for almost nothing.
Best weapons Murray has had in years
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Murray, who is healthy, is walking into a building where quarterbacks can thrive. He'll be throwing the ball to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, with O'Connell maximizing his skills as a dual-threat quarterback. This might be the best supporting cast Murray has had in his career.
As a rookie, Murray was throwing passes to Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk. In 2020, he made the Pro Bowl with DeAndre Hopkins as his top target, complementing 37-year-old Fitzgerald and Kirk. In 2021, he thrived with Hopkins, A.J. Green, Kirk, the late Rondale Moore, and tight end Zach Ertz. His best seasons were 2019 to 2022 under offensive-minded head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
In 2023, Murray returned from a torn ACL that he suffered midway through the 2022 season, but his top targets were rookie tight end Trey McBride, Moore, Marquise Brown, and Michael Wilson. In 2024, Murray's top targets were McBride, Wilson, and rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Murray has one major injury: a torn ACL in December 2022. He's more than three years removed from the injury, and the fact that he rushed for 572 yards and five touchdowns in 2024 indicates that he can still be a dangerous dual-threat quarterback.
There are questions about how Murray, who has played out of the shotgun throughout his career, will be molded into O'Connell's offense. However, the Vikings and Murray think they can make it work.
What it means for J.J. McCarthy
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McCarthy, 23, very well may be given a chance to compete for the starting job. However, no matter what the Vikings say about a quarterback competition, the logical assumption is that Murray chose to sign with Minnesota because he either A) was assured that he'll be the starter, or B) is extremely confident that McCarthy won't win the job over him if a competition is in place.
"Kevin O’Connell made it very clear that J.J. McCarthy will have to compete for the starting job in Minnesota this year," said Dianna Russini, reacting to the news. "The Vikings’ QB battle will be between him and Kyler Murray."
If Murray is the starter and he performs well, there would seem to be a very low chance that Minnesota lets him leave without signing a contract extension to lock him in as their long-term starting quarterback. They simply can't afford to see Murray leave and win a Super Bowl like Darnold did with the Seahawks.
McCarthy is entering the third year of his rookie contract. As a former first-round pick with only 10 starts to his name, he's still oozing with potential, and his three fourth-quarter comebacks last season could be enticing to a team that thinks it can turn him into a franchise quarterback.
J.J. McCarthy | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
If Murray winds up being the long-term answer in Minnesota, then McCarthy will surely be traded before the 2027 NFL Draft. At that point, he'd be entering the final year of his contract (only the Vikings can utilize his fifth-year option), and a team in need of a quarterback could get him on essentially a low-cost, one-year, prove-it deal.
If Murray were to get injured after playing well, and McCarthy performed at a high level in more than a handful of starts, the Vikings might find themselves with a good problem on their hands as they decide whether Murray or McCarthy is the best long-term answer.
There are many ways the QB situation could develop, but with Murray in town, all he has to do is play well to make the decision easy for the Vikings. Of course, Murray would have to be interested in signing an extension, but there's no reason to think he'd want to leave a situation where things are going well. After all, the Vikings were his favorite childhood team.
What's next for the Vikings?
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The top priority should be finding a starting center. Unless Minnesota is comfortable with Michael Jurgens or Blake Brandel entering 2026 as the starting center, they need to find the best center available to secure an offensive line that was battered by injuries last season.
Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill are locked in as the starting tackles, while Donovan Jackson and Will Fries will start at guard. Darrisaw will be two years removed from the torn ACL that complicated his 2025 season, and O'Neill should be 100% after battling through a sprained MCL and a problematic heel injury last season.
Minnesota also needs to decide on Addison's fifth-year option before May 1. With Jefferson, Addison, and tight end T.J. Hockenson returning, the Vikings still have to find a WR3 to replace Jalen Nailor, who signed with the Raiders.