In Defense of Kyler Murray
We’re considering no less than a dozen QBs to come in and solidify our QB room. Most are aging vets who’ve had previous success, and it’s uncertain whether or not they can continue that success (Cousins, Rodgers, Geno). Some are younger QBs who’ve had little to no success (Mac J, Willis, Richardson). You can add a half dozen names to one list or another: Jimmy G, Carr, Flacco, Mariota, Trubisky… But some of these names, despite not offering much upside, still come with a hefty price tag.
Meanwhile, one of our options is a former #1 overall pick. That by itself is meaningless. Bryce Young was a #1 overall pick, as was Jameis Winston. Unlike those players, though, Murray has solid numbers and a couple of Pro Bowls to go with it. Think about when we brought in Sam Darnold. Now THAT was a bust. He conjured more ghosts than a Salem seance. Viking fans everywhere were unimpressed. My point at the time was that for six years, the guy’s been driving a ’74 Pinto. What might a QB with his arm talent look like driving a sports car? The answer was pretty damn good. Do not underestimate the value of surround.
Fast forward two years and we have a similar opportunity. Except this guy hasn’t been a bust. No doubt, he has concerns surrounding his leadership and work ethic, and that might be a big problem for KOC. And if it is, so be it. Sign Geno and let’s get it on.
But if I’m KOC, I take that chance. The payoff could be enormous. Only 28, tools for days, represents the kind of running threat we’ve never had in our history. Not even Daunte or Fran could run like this guy. It’s almost unheard of for a team with this much talent to get an opportunity to sign a QB with tools like this.
And he’s a Viking fan? And you can get him for close to vet min? Sold American!
supafreak84 wrote:
Knowing what O'Connell has had success with...I just don't see how Murray is a fit in this offense? Short, has to get outside the pocket to be accurate. We don't know where he is at after the injuries and how much that has affected his elite athleticism, which has been his best trait. Tua, Derek Carr, Cousins and the like are much better throwing consistantly from the pocket and that's really what O'Connell wants and we know he hates deviating from that
Yep. Haven't seen the elite athletes at QB show much success if they can't pass from the pocket as well. Scramblin Fran was a different era and more by necessity.
Murray has talent, but unless he can read a D, make passes from the pocket, those talents are wasted.
Just what we need, an injury prone runt w/ a poor work ethic. Not to mention Kyler prefers to work out of the shotgun and doesn’t like to throw over the middle, which is the exact opposite of KOC’s preferences. Hard pass for me…
Well since the thread is titled in defense of Kyler...
With Kyler Murray's time in Arizona about to be over, I've been thinking about what it was like covering him for the last seven seasons.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) March 4, 2026
Even though this will be my 15th season covering the Cardinals, Murray was the first long-term franchise quarterback that I covered from…
comet52 wrote:
Well since the thread is titled in defense of Kyler...
[twitter]https://x.com/i/status/2029317454179254752[/twitter]
Just like anything else, you can grab onto the good Kyler narrative or the bad one.
[hr]
comet52 wrote:
The good news if we sign Murray is that he could mentor JJM...
at Call of Duty Black Ops 7. ;)
lol. Yeah, this wouldn't be a mentor-type signing, this would be a QB1 signing. And I don't think its the direction Minnesota is going IMO.
A lot of harumphing in this thread. Folks seem to think we’re in the catbird’s seat and we have countless great opportunities just waiting for us to put pen to paper and go win a Super Bowl. Kyler Murray? Harumph! Only under the following conditions…!
It’s madness. And your guy is…..who? Every one of these guys has a problem or four, including McCarthy. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be available. The truth is Kyler Murray, given his talent, age, salary and trade comp, is the best QB option for the Vikings and it’s not even remotely close. I don’t know if the Vikings will sign him. No clue what their thoughts are on this. But I think they’d be absolute eejits for not taking this gift. Because that’s what it is: a GIFT. QBs like this rarely become available. And they never become available (for FREE) to teams with everything else in place.
If the Vikings screw this up and pass on Kyler, an uber-talented QB who’s only 28, was voted rookie of the year and went to two straight Pro Bowls on a crap team, who does not require any trade comp, who does not require any money, and has the Vikings at the top of his wishlist, and then we watch that guy go have success with another team (AGAIN), ala Darnold, I would not want to be the one who has to explain that to this guy…
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) March 3, 2026
MaroonBells wrote:
A lot of harumphing in this thread. Folks seem to think we’re in the catbird’s seat and we have countless great opportunities just waiting for us to put pen to paper and go win a Super Bowl. Kyler Murray? Harumph! Only under the following conditions…!It’s madness. And your guy is…..who? Every one of these guys has a problem or four, including McCarthy. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be available. The truth is Kyler Murray, given his talent, age, salary and trade comp, is the best QB option for the Vikings and it’s not even remotely close. I don’t know if the Vikings will sign him. No clue what their thoughts are on this. But I think they’d be absolute eejits for not taking this gift. Because that’s what it is: a GIFT. QBs like this rarely become available. And they never become available (for FREE) to teams with everything else in place.
If the Vikings screw this up and pass on Kyler, an uber-talented QB who’s only 28, was voted rookie of the year and went to two straight Pro Bowls on a crap team, who does not require any trade comp, who does not require any money, and has the Vikings at the top of his wishlist, and then we watch that guy go have success with another team (AGAIN), ala Darnold, I would not want to be the one who has to explain that to this guy…
Damn, he is so good that his team is willing to eat cap space to be rid of him. Must be that the Cardinals are secretly trying to help the Vikings win the trophy.
Uber athlete, mediocre at best QB. No thanks.
MaroonBells wrote:
A lot of harumphing in this thread. Folks seem to think we’re in the catbird’s seat and we have countless great opportunities just waiting for us to put pen to paper and go win a Super Bowl. Kyler Murray? Harumph! Only under the following conditions…!It’s madness. And your guy is…..who? Every one of these guys has a problem or four, including McCarthy. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be available. The truth is Kyler Murray, given his talent, age, salary and trade comp, is the best QB option for the Vikings and it’s not even remotely close. I don’t know if the Vikings will sign him. No clue what their thoughts are on this. But I think they’d be absolute eejits for not taking this gift. Because that’s what it is: a GIFT. QBs like this rarely become available. And they never become available (for FREE) to teams with everything else in place.
If the Vikings screw this up and pass on Kyler, an uber-talented QB who’s only 28, was voted rookie of the year and went to two straight Pro Bowls on a crap team, who does not require any trade comp, who does not require any money, and has the Vikings at the top of his wishlist, and then we watch that guy go have success with another team (AGAIN), ala Darnold, I would not want to be the one who has to explain that to this guy…
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) March 3, 2026I think there's plenty of room for disagreement, here:
Kirko knows our scheme, our players, our community, and is apparently excellent in the locker room.
Wentz did better than his tiny amount of time with the team could have foretold, played through huge pain for us, and proved that he was a helluva solider for us.
Jones will likely cost picks, but played well in recent games and could be the next "Darnold" that just needs a reboot.
Kyler would expect to be QB1, and...why? He had a losing record before getting his big contract, has a WORSE ratio since, and offers at least as many issues as qualities.
KOC, JJM, Flores...make a good plan, or you'll be following Kwesi....
greediron wrote:
Damn, he is so good that his team is willing to eat cap space to be rid of him. Must be that the Cardinals are secretly trying to help the Vikings win the trophy.Uber athlete, mediocre at best QB. No thanks.
A big rationale for why you'd bring him in (besides his team is eating most of the $$) is a projection of what he "could" do here in this surround, under this staff and system.
Not what he has or hasn't done in AZ to-date.
I have no idea what they will do obviously, but I personally wouldnt be too upset bringing in Murray. Let's see if JJM could win a competition against him? I would say he probably would not.
The biggest hiccup I have on this is that it would stall JJM playing another year....That I have some issues with, we have to find out what we got in the kid.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Add @PSchrags to the Kyler to Minnesota train 👀 pic.twitter.com/v8PUixk8dw
— SleeperVikings (@SleeperVikings) March 5, 2026
purplefaithful wrote:
A big rationale for why you'd bring him in (besides his team is eating most of the $$) is a projection of what he "could" do here in this surround, under this staff and system.
Not what he has or hasn't done in AZ to-date.
I have no idea what they will do obviously, but I personally wouldnt be too upset bringing in Murray. Let's see if JJM could win a competition against him? I would say he probably would not.
The biggest hiccup I have on this is that it would stall JJM playing another year....That I have some issues with, we have to find out what we got in the kid.
Exactly. And for what. Reminds me of the Thomas Moore line in a Man for all seasons, "But for Murray?" Or Wales, or something like that. But you get the point.
Murray isn't likely going to be the answer to our offense. KOC will have to adjust again. He isn't that young, he isn't that healthy and he isn't that good.
Patrick Siepman@PatSieps
If the Vikings don't sign Kyler Murray it is organizational malpractice. The Vikings fucked up so bad last offseason by letting Sam Darnold walk, and now a former 1st overall pick is on the market for $1.3 MM next season. The Vikings should be feeling blessed by the football Gods that Kyler Murray got released.
-----
Dustin Baker@DustBaker
● 4.38 speed coming out
● Can throw it 70 yards
● 5th best comp% in NFL history
"this will not work for my vikings."
----
Warren Ludford
@wludford
Comparing Kyler Murray and Sam Darnold 2024 seasons (Murray's last full season)
Overall PFF Grade
Murray: 82.1. Darnold: 80.7
PFF Passing Grade
Murray: 77.9. Darnold: 77.5
Adjusted Completion %
Murray: 75.9%. Darnold: 76.5%
Adjusted EPA/Play
Murray: 0.161. Darnold: 0.151
EPA/Play
Murray: 0.150. Darnold: 0.127
Success Rate
Murray: 51.3%. Darnold: 50.9%
Completion %
Murray: 71.4%. Darnold: 70.2%
Completion % Over Expectation (CPOE)
Murray: 2.1%. Darnold: 3.9%.
CPOE+EPA Composite
Murray: 0.116. Darnold: 0.121
PFF Big-Time Throw %
Murray: 4.7%. Darnold: 5.4%
PFF Turnover-Worthy Play %
Murray: 2.4%. Darnold: 3.7%
Yards Per Attempt
Murray: 7.1. Darnold: 7.8
Average Depth of Target
Murray: 7.4. Darnold: 9.3
Overall, very similar metrics. Only Murray played on an inferior team overall.
----
Kyler Murray.
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) March 4, 2026
His reputation. His critics. His future. pic.twitter.com/izkP8BGLPE
MaroonBells wrote:
A lot of harumphing in this thread. Folks seem to think we’re in the catbird’s seat and we have countless great opportunities just waiting for us to put pen to paper and go win a Super Bowl. Kyler Murray? Harumph! Only under the following conditions…!It’s madness. And your guy is…..who? Every one of these guys has a problem or four, including McCarthy. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be available. The truth is Kyler Murray, given his talent, age, salary and trade comp, is the best QB option for the Vikings and it’s not even remotely close. I don’t know if the Vikings will sign him. No clue what their thoughts are on this. But I think they’d be absolute eejits for not taking this gift. Because that’s what it is: a GIFT. QBs like this rarely become available. And they never become available (for FREE) to teams with everything else in place.
If the Vikings screw this up and pass on Kyler, an uber-talented QB who’s only 28, was voted rookie of the year and went to two straight Pro Bowls on a crap team, who does not require any trade comp, who does not require any money, and has the Vikings at the top of his wishlist, and then we watch that guy go have success with another team (AGAIN), ala Darnold, I would not want to be the one who has to explain that to this guy…
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) March 3, 2026He's available for free for a reason, no?
The 1.3 million salary is not something that can be overlooked especially for a team that is cap strapped. We are not going to get a more talented QB for that money, anyone else that they are talking about will cost much more. The other benefit of the 1.3 million is it does not lock you into whether or not he is the starter or backup. Any team that signs Willis or Jones at what it will take to sign them has no choice. With Murray he can come in and truly compete for job and if JJM wins out, we have a great backup that we are paying less than backup QB money. And if he happens to play at the pro bow level that he has played at in the past and ends up being the starter we win there as well.
StickierBuns wrote:
'Hi.....just won the Superbowl'
Yeah, but not with Minnesota. So why would Murray do any better? If he does well, he moves on. If not, we have wasted another year of JJM.
StickierBuns wrote:
Please don't misunderstand me, the best way to go this year IMO is with JJ McCarthy. I don't want nor think they will sign Murray. And they can't waste a year of development for JJ, it means they are in all manner of practicality done with him. You don't start a year, sit the bench the next year and then the organization says 'you're our guy again!. Never happen. They'd move on from him next season or the year after.
BUT: its a lie to say Kyler Murray isn't talented and might not have an upward trajectory in his next stop. That's all I'm saying. Trust me, plenty of people said 'well why would Sam Darnold do any better elsewhere'? He'd been with how many other teams? And of all the people on this board, there was just one that thought Uncle Sammy would/could have a great year in Minnesota and that was MB. So MB is running his campaign now so may as well read what he's got to say.
Murray could still improve and be a consistent good QB. But at what expense for us? Will he do it this year and take us to the playoffs and then leave for elsewhere? Just like Sammy?
I don't think he is a good fit for KOC. KOC struggles to change his offense even a little and Murray and the gun are not a good fit.
I listen to MB, he knows football. But me and my little brain don't see it.
MaroonBells wrote:
A lot of harumphing in this thread. Folks seem to think we’re in the catbird’s seat and we have countless great opportunities just waiting for us to put pen to paper and go win a Super Bowl. Kyler Murray? Harumph! Only under the following conditions…!
It’s madness. And your guy is…..who? Every one of these guys has a problem or four, including McCarthy. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be available. The truth is Kyler Murray, given his talent, age, salary and trade comp, is the best QB option for the Vikings and it’s not even remotely close. I don’t know if the Vikings will sign him. No clue what their thoughts are on this. But I think they’d be absolute eejits for not taking this gift. Because that’s what it is: a GIFT. QBs like this rarely become available. And they never become available (for FREE) to teams with everything else in place.
If the Vikings screw this up and pass on Kyler, an uber-talented QB who’s only 28, was voted rookie of the year and went to two straight Pro Bowls on a crap team, who does not require any trade comp, who does not require any money, and has the Vikings at the top of his wishlist, and then we watch that guy go have success with another team (AGAIN), ala Darnold, I would not want to be the one who has to explain that to this guy…
[twitter]https://x.com/vikesinsider/status/2028976021026783432?s=20[/twitter]
Its going to be REALLY interesting over the weekend to start hearing how this is playing out (Vikes signing vet competition for JJM)....can't even say for sure if they are interested because there are rumors either way. Looking forward to some clarity because every rumor has another rumor that contradicts it on this topic.
There certainly are reasons to doubt Kyler, a guy for whom they once tried to insert a clause in his contract to make him promise to watch film. And regardless of whether one likes him or not, it's a genuine question now as to whether he can stay healthy.
But that said the Cardinals are a dogshit org and it would be interesting to see what he would look like throwing it to Jefferson, Addison, et al and working with better personnel all around. This team will have a solid defense this year, especially if they can add a piece or two in the draft. Competent qb play should put them in the playoffs even in a tough NFCN.
And whatever you think of Murray, he's put plenty of highlights on tape at times and would bury last year's version of JJM in a "competition." Not that that matters because if they sign him it's not to compete it's to start. NFL teams don't find qb's via some training camp FAFO process anyway which is why all this competition talk has been amusing. It's the team's way of deflecting criticism if/when they give up on the kid.
So I'm pretty sure if this deal happens it's the end of JJM in Minnesota. Another year on the bench? For what? That is a dead end for JJM. I would hope they work out some sort of 2nd year option for Murray if they're going this route. But regardless, you'd think JJM would ask out, wanting to go somewhere where he could actually have a chance to get on the field. Don't know, it's all speculation at this point. If JJM can miss as much time as he has, put as many bad reps on the field as he has, show such a lack of maturity that KOC and the gang are basically telegraphing "We quit" to the world, then sit another year (or more) and somehow become not only a great qb but great for the Vikings and not some other team, I will eat my left shoe. Maybe the right one as well.
Kyler started 5 games last year and never topped 220 passing yards. The groundswell of support for us to sign him is wild.
Where will Kyler Murray land -- and how will he make his decision?
By this time next week, Murray will almost certainly be a free agent. The only way he isn't available is if another team trades for him. But his contract isn't particularly trade-friendly, and everyone knows he's getting released anyway. So he'll be a free agent.
Now, most free agents have to balance a few considerations when they pick their new teams. The first and most obvious is contract size. But things such as scheme fit, roster competition and quality of life in that particular city are also worth consideration.
Murray isn't a typical free agent, though. He has been cut with $36.8 million in guarantees remaining on his contract, and that guaranteed money has offset language. Any money on a new deal with another team would just be subtracted off what the Cardinals already owe, giving Arizona relative cap relief. For that reason, he'll sign a veterans minimum contract for $1.3 million with whatever team he joins, forcing the Cardinals to pay out the remaining $35.5 million Murray is due.
This removes the main consideration of free agency from Murray's decision. Save for a surprising contract offer that includes multiple years -- which is possible but unlikely -- Murray's financial situation will be the same no matter where he signs: a one-year prove-it deal that lets him return to free agency in 2027. (We saw this with Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh in 2024, with his contract in Denver having similar offset language.)
This leveling of the playing field makes Murray an interesting candidate for the Vikings. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has garnered a reputation for quarterback rehabilitation. Kirk Cousins had one of his best seasons under O'Connell in 2022 and was on another tear in 2023 before an Achilles injury. The story of Sam Darnold's 2024 season is old hat. Even Daniel Jones kick-started his career resurgence with a cup of coffee on the Minnesota sideline.
But the Vikings are strapped for cash. Outgoing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent aggressively while building around the rookie contract of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. But after many of Adofo-Mensah's moves went poorly -- and after McCarthy crashed and burned last season -- the Vikings are left with little financial flexibility and a big need at QB1. Murray seems like a godsend to their problems.
Murray is not of O'Connell's typical mold. He is not a big-bodied pocket passer with a history of under-center dropbacks and middle-of-the-field reads. Murray might evaluate the landscape and determine that the Browns under Todd Monken, who previously coached Lamar Jackson, run a better system for his skill set -- but they of course don't have an offensive line. He might see that the Jets have no challenger for QB1 and a great O-line, and offensive coordinator Frank Reich runs a Murray-friendly system -- but they're sure lacking in pass catchers.
Every potential Murray landing spot has an enticing pro and a debilitating con. That's what makes his decision so tricky. Find the right spot, and Murray could be in line for a fat extension this time next year. Make the wrong choice, and it's another year on the carousel of bad teams handing out bottom-of-the-market deals.
ESPN
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Edit Post (mod action — author will see a notice)
Warn Poster
Suspend User (3 days)
The user will be suspended for 3 days and will receive an email with the reason and information about how to appeal.