Kyler Murray enters a new chapter with the Minnesota Vikings after emerging from the team’s quarterback competition ahead of J.J. McCarthy. The Arizona Cardinals moved on from Murray this offseason, giving the former No. 1 overall pick plenty to prove as he looks to revive his career.
Murray spent six seasons in Arizona, throwing for 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions while posting a 92.2 passer rating across 87 games, per StatMuse.
Now, head coach Kevin O’Connell will have the opportunity to see whether Murray can rediscover the form that once made him one of the NFL’s most promising young quarterbacks. With the Vikings now having a new QB1, the team’s general manager, Nolan Teasley, spoke about the reason for the decision.
“Really excited about what Kyler can do in this system with this level of coaching. K.O., Josh McCown, Frank Smith is on staff here, Wes Phillips,” Teasley said in an Aug. 12 video from SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“So right then and there, you’re really excited about the direction that he can go and the intricacies of the system, being a wide-zone scheme that is going to implement some keepers and use his athleticism, get him outside of the pocket.
“That puts the defense in conflict. So yeah, I’m just really excited about the direction that we’re headed… Learning Kyler as the starter, what he does well, what he’s comfortable with and being able to focus in that regard, then allow that timing element with whether it’s [Justin Jefferson] or T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison and all the skill players that he’ll be surrounded with.”
Nolan Teasley on J.J. McCarthy After Losing QB Battle
Moreover, Teasley didn’t forget to mention McCarthy and the effort he saw from the third-year player in his attempt to win the starting job.
“Really appreciative of the way that J.J. McCarthy handled the news this morning,” Teasley added. “He’s a professional. Really, really excited about his trajectory in the system as well. It’s a competitive room. That was the goal from the outset, and so we’re still headed in that direction.
“But I’m really excited about where we are today… Just really appreciative of the way that he handled it and that his story is not written, and we’re going to continue to coach and develop him.”
Vikings Predicted to Be Playoff Bound With Kyler Murray
With the decision now made in Minnesota, CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt shared an outlook on the Vikings with the team having Murray as QB1.
“The expectations are to get to the postseason and win a postseason game because that’s why you go out and get Kyler Murray,” Hunt said in an Aug. 11 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.” “If you didn’t want to enhance your chances of getting deep into the postseason and making perhaps a Super Bowl run, you would have stayed with J.J. McCarthy and rode the wave of improvement from week to week.
“But you go and get Kyler Murray because you felt like you have a high-floor defense and a high-floor offense from a personnel perspective. So why not go get a quarterback that can help enhance that and move this thing forward? 11-6 is the floor for the Vikings. Anything they build on top of that is just gravy.”
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