While the Minnesota Vikings try to scratch and claw their way out of quarterback purgatory, the hope is that former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray can be the salvation they’ve been seeking for what feels like eons.
Murray was released by the Arizona Cardinals last Wednesday, which was all but a formality at the start of the new league year. It took a day for him to agree to terms to become the Vikings’ next quarterback, but that isn’t a done deal yet, either. The Vikings still have J.J. McCarthy under center until he’s dethroned.
One-Year Deal With Vikings Could Become Much More for Kyler Murray
It didn’t quite work out between Murray and the Cardinals. After seven seasons together, both sides did everything they could to make it work, but the marriage was never a fit. Murray spent four seasons with Kliff Kingsbury and another three under Jonathan Gannon, leading to a ghastly 38-48-1 record as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback. He never had the opportunity to pair with newly hired head coach Mike LaFleur.
In an effort to rejuvenate his career, Murray’s one-year deal at the veteran minimum salary of $1.3 million could blossom into something more. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Vikings may perceive Murray as a long-term answer at quarterback. Still just 28 years old, Murray has no fork in his career yet.
“And while Murray still has to win the job from McCarthy, what O’Connell said to Murray did stick with him — that he was the one guy on the market that they could see as a potential longer-range answer, rather than a one-year Band-Aid,” Breer wrote.
“The idea of growing with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Christian Darrisaw and O’Connell and his staff was already wildly attractive to begin with. The chance to, perhaps, put down roots only made it more so.”
If nothing else, the Vikings are giving themselves options at quarterback this season. Of course, they’re still hoping that McCarthy can provide them with a solid return on the No. 10 overall selection investment they’ve made in him. But to this point, he hasn’t exactly given them a reason to be optimistic.
McCarthy essentially redshirted the entirety of his rookie season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Vikings deployed Sam Darnold in his place, and he led the team to a 14-3 regular-season record and a playoff berth before leaving in free agency to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. While Darnold and the Seahawks enjoyed a Super Bowl campaign, the Vikings limped through the year with McCarthy.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
The Vikings saw McCarthy in only 10 starts last season. He missed time with a severe ankle sprain, a concussion, and a hairline fracture in his throwing hand that he sustained late in the season. While they were 6-4 in those starts, McCarthy completed just south of 58% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
McCarthy finished the year ranked No. 37 out of 44 quarterbacks in PFSN’s QB Impact metric with a grade of 64.5.
