After hosting him on a successful visit at TCO Performance Center on Thursday, the Vikings signed former Cardinals quarterback and two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray to a one-year contract.
Coming off a disappointing season, they set out to add a veteran to their quarterback room. And they couldn't have asked for a much better result than landing an ultra-talented player like Murray, in the heart of his prime, for a veteran's minimum $1.3 million salary. The former No. 1 overall pick will be paid nearly $37 million by Arizona this year, creating a unique opportunity for the Vikings to get a veteran player of his ability for next to nothing by NFL standards.
"Really excited about the opportunity to add a talent like Kyler Murray," head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Thursday evening. "What he's done on the field has always been something, from the time evaluating him coming out in the draft to now, he's always been a guy I've really kept an eye on and watched his quarterback journey."
"I think we accomplished a goal, which was to add a really talented player with some experience in that room. (That's) something that I'm really excited about as we set out to elevate that quarterback room."
Murray, having been released by the Cardinals, is at an interesting point in his career. He's dealt with several injuries over the last four years. Wins have been hard to come by. His play hasn't always been stellar. But this is a guy who, at times in his seven-year career, has played like a top-ten QB in the league. In 87 career starts, he's thrown for over 20,000 yards, rushed for over 3,000, and scored 153 combined touchdowns. Over the last three seasons, he ranks 18th in EPA per play among 57 quarterbacks with at least 300 dropbacks.
Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
There will naturally be some questions about Murray's fit in the Vikings' offense. He's famously undersized, with his height listed at 5'10". He's an electric dual threat now joining a system that has usually been led by pocket passers like Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. O'Connell thinks it'll work.
"When you actually dive in and really study Kyler's experience at the position, you do see a lot of really great qualities that fit into some of the things that we ask our quarterbacks to do," he said. "I think Kyler's an accurate player, I think he's learned to play with very solid fundamentals in the pass game. He can make all the throws."
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There may be some adjustments needed, but that goes both ways. Murray may be asked to do some things differently than he did while playing for the Cardinals. At the same time, O'Connell and the Vikings could look to implement certain concepts into their offense that suit Murray's strengths.
"I think the big thing for all of us here is continuing to try to find a way, each year, to do the things that players do well," O'Connell said. "(That's) honestly something that I'm looking to continue to improve at myself and with my coaching staff, including some of the new additions that were all brought here for a reason."
The Vikings won't try to make Murray into something he isn't. When he's at his best, he can be a nightmare for opposing defenses because of his ability to make in-rhythm throws while also extending plays and picking up chunks of yardage with his rare quickness and agility.
If Murray plays in 2026 like he has throughout his career, the Vikings will have a chance to be very difficult to defend. The scouting report for defenses playing against them always starts with superstar receiver Justin Jefferson. Teams are dialed in on Jefferson and typically allocate extra resources in coverage to try to slow him down. Now, Murray's legs gives them another thing they have to account for. The more players they have downfield, the fewer there are to contain the QB.
"With Kyler, the ability to make a lot of throws in the pocket is absolutely paired with the ability to be a real weapon with his athleticism, his quickness," O'Connell said. "His ability to not only attack the line of scrimmage as a runner, but maintaining the ability to create some throwing opportunities off schedule and hopefully be a challenge for the way we're defended with how people do play Justin and allocating extra resources that way. I'm very excited about the possibilities of what we're going to be able to do in 2026."
Kevin O'Connell
Kevin O'Connell | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
What this means for McCarthy
The Vikings arrived at this point because J.J. McCarthy did not take the opportunity to be a franchise quarterback and run with it last season. The former 10th overall pick, after missing his entire rookie season due to injury, struggled quite a bit in 2025. Injuries cost him seven more full games and parts of two others. And when he was on the field, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns while finishing near the bottom of the league in most quarterback metrics.
The Vikings haven't given up on McCarthy. He's 23 years old, has just ten career starts under his belt, and did show some flashes of potential at times last season. But they also knew they needed to bring in a veteran to raise the floor of their quarterback room in 2026.
Frankly, given Murray's resume, it's difficult to imagine McCarthy having a realistic chance to win the starting job over the course of this offseason. But unsurprisingly, O'Connell wasn't going to make any commitments in that area, one way or another, in his press conference on Thursday.
"First of all, we know it's March," he said. "We signed Kyler today. What I can tell you is the goal of adding a talented player like Kyler to the room was about creating an environment for all of our quarterbacks ... where guys are pushing each other, creating a new standard. What that looks like, reps and all those things, I know that I'm excited to dive into all of that.
"Unless I'm confused in any way, shape, or form, I don't believe we have to name one of those (a starting QB) currently. Ultimately, what we have to do is what's best for our football team and what will equate to us winning football games and playing good football consistently. And that's our plan."
J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
This news won't have taken McCarthy by surprise. He's known since the offseason began that a quarterback addition was going to happen. He may not have known it would end up being a player of Murray's caliber, but O'Connell and the Vikings sound hopeful that this won't change anything about the way McCarthy strives for improvement this spring and summer.
"I talked to him this week, we had a great conversation — as we have most of the offseason — about the good work that he's done," O'Connell said. "He's focused on what's out in front of him personally and he's attacking that every single day. He's doing great."
How O'Connell wants McCarthy to respond to the addition of Murray is "exactly how he did when we talked about it," he said.
"J.J.'s ready to have the best possible offseason that he can. Unlike going into 2025, he now has ten games of experience in the NFL. He's experienced the ebbs and flows of an NFL season that you've gotta learn from, you've gotta continue to attack in the most consistent way possible, getting totally locked into that routine.
"He knew we were going to be adding somebody to the room. He knew that didn't change anything about his mindset and focus on improvement and attacking this offseason the right way. Really proud of him for that."