Ripple Effects for J.J. McCarthy's Future and More After Kyler Murray Signs With Vikings

As soon as it became clear that the Arizona Cardinals were going to release Kyler Murray, the Minnesota Vikings were linked to the first overall pick in the 2019 draft.

On Thursday, Murray visited the Twin Cities. By the time that visit was done, pen had been put to paper, and Murray signed a one-year deal to join the Vikings.

The signing signals that the Vikings are going to the well under center for a third straight year.

In 2024, that produced a career resurgence from Sam Darnold, a 14-win season and a playoff trip. In 2025, it produced a disaster when the Vikings punted on Darnold (who went on to win Super Bowl LX in Seattle) in favor of youngster J.J. McCarthy.

In 2026, it produces a lot of questions for both the team and the players on it.

While addressing the media after the deal was announced, Murray (a childhood Vikings fan) said landing in Minnesota was a dream come true.

"Never in a million years did I think that this was gonna come around full circle," Murray said. "Not even a thought in my head. But the opportunity presented itself."

It's not hard to see why the move makes sense for the Vikings. With the Cardinals on the hook for the overwhelming majority of Murray's contract, it's essentially a no-risk deal.

While the Vikings weren't terrible in 2025, McCarthy mostly was. In 10 games, he completed less than 58 percent of his passes, threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11) and had a passer rating of 72.6.

That Minnesota somehow won six of those 10 games is one of those stats that gives you a headache.

Granted, Murray was hardly a world-beater last year, or the Cardinals wouldn't be paying him more than $35 million to play for another team this season.

Murray played in only five games for the Cardinals in 2025 due to a foot injury. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and making the Pro Bowl twice in his first three seasons, he didn't come especially close to living up to the five-year, $230.5 million extension he signed in 2022.

While talking to reporters Thursday, Minnesota head coach and quarterback whisperer Kevin O'Connell claimed Murray isn't guaranteed to start for the Vikings in 2026.

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

"Unless I'm confused in any way, shape or form," he said, "I don't believe we have to name one of those currently."

Uh-huh. Sure. Tell us another one, Kev.

Let's just put it out there. At his worst, Murray has played at a higher level than what we saw from McCarthy last year.

McCarthy was 31st in the NFL in passing yards per game last year despite throwing to arguably the NFL's best wide receiver in Justin Jefferson. He was 33rd in adjusted yards per attempt at 5.40 and 31st in QBR, trailing Joe Flacco.

McCarthy's bad-throw percentage was the second-highest in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference. His on-target percentage was dead last.

McCarthy played one good quarter of football against the Chicago Bears in Week 1. Outside of that, he was mostly bad.

It's possible that McCarthy has some deep untapped potential, but everyone essentially knows how this "competition" is going to end.

"McCarthy has the advantage of familiarity with the Vikings' offense, and Murray will face a steep learning curve in that area," ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote. "It's not just a matter of performance for McCarthy, however. He'll also have to show he has changed his playing style enough to avoid the injuries that have held back his career to this point.

"If the Vikings' goal is to start the quarterback who gives them the best chance to make the playoffs in 2026, then almost everyone inside and outside the franchise knows that Murray is the bet to make."

Cue Jefferson doing cartwheels.

Last year was a nightmare for the six-year veteran. He barely managed to keep his streak of 1,000-yard seasons going, but he otherwise posted career-low numbers across the board.

Jefferson's catch percentage dropped below 60 for the first time in his career. After hauling in 10 touchdown catches with Darnold in 2024, he managed only two with McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer in 2025.

Mind you, it's not like Jefferson hasn't played with bad quarterbacks before. In 2023, the Vikings started the corpse of Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall and Shane Falco (one of those may not be accurate).

Jefferson missed seven games of that mess, but when he was out there, he averaged a career-high 107.4 receiving yards per game. Those quarterbacks could at least put the ball in Jefferson's general vicinity.

To be clear, Murray isn't a star, and this isn't a slam-dunk, can't-miss move that makes the Vikings Super Bowl contenders. Murray doesn't read the middle of the field well, and like most mobile quarterbacks, he holds the ball too long.

But O'Connell knows those things just as well as we do, and he has a reputation for accentuating what his quarterback does well. Get Murray outside on rollouts and bootlegs so he doesn't have to stand on a stool on the pocket. Scheme up quick, one-read throws. Use his mobility to make opposing defenses make the hard choice between getting killed on scrambles or cheating up and getting beat deep.

We have seen Kliff Kingsbury scheme up Murray in the desert. The result was the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, two Pro Bowls and a playoff trip. And it's not a stretch to say that the Vikings will be the best roster Murray has ever been on.

It's also worth mentioning that there are exactly three quarterbacks in NFL history with 20,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in their first 87 games: Cam Newton, Josh Allen and Murray.

No, seriously.

Is it guaranteed that Murray will experience a Darnold-esque rebirth and lead the Vikings to the postseason? No.

But the Vikings just became more dangerous. The NFC North just became more interesting.

And J.J. McCarthy just became a backup.