Minnesota Vikings Add QB Kyler Murray in Offseason Shakeup
The Arizona Cardinals cut former Pro Bowl QB Kyler Murray, and the Minnesota Vikings scooped him up in free agency. This is both surprising and unsurprising. The Vikings spent the 10th pick on a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft, but JJ McCarthy has been nothing short of awful in his short tenure.
Kyler Murray set to replace JJ McCarthy with Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings appear to be giving up on JJ McCarthy. At least, they're prepared to let him sit on the bench for another full season after signing Kyler Murray to a one-year deal after his release from the Cardinals.
For what it's worth, Murray is excited. "I cannot wait," Murray said Thursday after the signing. "I cannot wait to touch that field and be a Minnesota Viking." He also posted a tweet showcasing himself wearing a youth football jersey with the Vikings' name on it.
"It's March," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. "We signed Kyler today. And what I can tell you is the goal of adding a talented player like Kyler to the room was to ... create a world where guys are pushing each other and guys are by their own growth and development, or their own ascension, are not only just doing that themselves, but they're creating a new standard and elevating that floor so that will benefit not only those players individually, it'll benefit the collective group of guys in the room."
He also refused to open up on a potential QB competition between McCarthy and Murray. Murray is a former Pro Bowl QB, though, and is expected to start over a QB who is off to one of the worst starts to a career in NFL history.
The coach said his young quarterback knew they would be signing another quarterback. O'Connell revealed that McCarthy didn't change his mindset in the wake of the news, saying the former Michigan product is committed to improving and attacking the offseason.
"I'm really proud of him for that and excited to get to get back on the grass and in the meeting room with him when that time comes," O'Connell said. Of the meeting, Murray said, "I met a lot of genuine, real people. They've done nothing but treat me with great respect and love so far since I've been here. I'm very appreciative of how today went."
Why this is interesting
This is of particular interest because of how things have gone in the past and some comments by Kevin O'Connell. The Vikings brought in Sam Darnold to back up McCarthy in 2024. When the rookie went down for the year, Darnold came in and delivered a career year.
Still, the Vikings decided to go with McCarthy. Darnold signed a roughly $100 million deal and won the Super Bowl in his first season. The Vikings missed the playoffs entirely. Daniel Jones came over to back Darnold up that year, and the Vikings let him go. He just signed the largest two-year contract in NFL history.
O'Connell has also been very vocal that it's on the organization to develop a young QB. As young players like Caleb Williams, Cam Ward, and Bryce Young struggle to acclimate initially, O'Connell believes teams give up way too soon.
Yet, here he is, seemingly giving up on McCarthy. To be fair, McCarthy has been awful, but O'Connell believes that young QBs aren't always to blame, and McCarthy has only played in 10 games. The sample size is tiny.
Time will tell what happens to McCarthy from here, but assuming Kyler Murray returns to form, it might be safe to say McCarthy's Vikings career, and perhaps his NFL career, are over after just a couple of seasons.
