A star quarterback arrives in Minnesota. The Vikings secure Kyler Murray, betting on his elite talent to ignite their playoff aspirations.
The Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason with one goal above the rest: Fix the quarterback position. They did that on Thursday.
The Vikings signed star free agent quarterback Kyler Murray to a one-year contract for the 2026 season. The move solidifies the team as a legitimate threat not only in the NFC North but as a contender to make a playoff run in 2026.
Per Alec Lewis, the deal would come with a no-tag clause indicating Murray will be able to choose where he wants to play next season as well. That said, if it goes well Murray could be a Viking for a long time.
In Murray, the Vikings add a former No. 1 pick who has not been a bust by any stretch in his seven seasons in the NFL. As we have noted before, Murray is a 3,700-yard passer in all four seasons in which he has played 14 games. Given that his past injuries have not all been the same, his three shortened seasons are unlikely to prevent him from becoming the elite quarterback he was drafted to become in Arizona.
Why the sudden confidence in Minnesota? After all, Murray has yet to win a postseason game and only once reached the playoffs as quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals.
For starters, not many other quarterbacks were going to win playoff games in Arizona over the last seven years. The franchise has been known for instability since the hire of Kliff Kingsbury as head coach, but some would argue the unstable nature of the franchise dates back to even earlier than that.
In contrast, the Vikings went 9-8 with the following stat line from J.J. McCarthy in 2025: 140 completions on 243 attempts, 1,632 yards, 6.7 yards per attempt, 11 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Gaining more yards does not always equate to winning more games, but this case is unique. Over his seven years in the NFL, Murray has amassed over 20,000 passing yards with a career completion percentage of 67.1%. The percentage is about 10% higher than McCarthy's lone season as an NFL starter.
Given that Murray's fourth best NFL season in passing yards would more than double McCarthy's passing yardage total from 2025 and add nine more passing touchdowns, it's difficult to argue that the increase would not lead to more wins. After all, Vikings backup quarterback Max Brosmer defeated the Detroit Lions with just three net passing yards after sack yardage in relief of an injured McCarthy.
Minnesota entered the offseason simply needing league average quarterback play to become a double-digit win team. In Murray, they not only got that. The Vikings adding a franchise quarterback.