After numerous weeks of speculation, the signing that Minnesota Vikings fans have been waiting for. . .with varying levels of anticipation. . .is now official.
The Vikings have signed former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to a one-year contract. This. . .at least in theory. . .opens up a quarterback competition between Murray and J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback job for the Vikings in 2026, but it’s likely going to be a “competition” in the same way that Homer Simpson was allowed to compete with Daryl Strawberry for the starting right field spot on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team.
Murray was the #1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the year after he won the Heisman Trophy at the University of Oklahoma. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and has been named to the Pro Bowl twice, in 2020 and 2021.
In his seven seasons with the Cardinals, he started 87 games, completing 67.1% of his passes and throwing for just over 20,000 yards. He’s also thrown 121 touchdown passes and 60 interceptions. In addition, he’s also rushed for nearly 3,200 yards and 31 more scores.
Murray has battled injuries in recent seasons. He tore his ACL late in the 2022 season, an injury that caused him to miss the first half of 2023. He also suffered a foot injury this past season that landed him on injured reserve and limited him to just five games.
The financial terms of the deal have not yet been released, but it’s very likely that it’s for the veteran minimum of around $1.3 million, given the significant amount of money that Murray is still owed by the Cardinals following his release. It is worth noting that the contract apparently has a “no tag” clause, so the Vikings will not be able to use the franchise or transition tags on Murray if he has a big season in 2026. This may or may not be important later on. I guess we’ll find out.
Welcome to Minnesota, Kyler Murray!
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