The Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason knowing that, at the very least, they would need to add some competition to their quarterback room after their decision to hand J.J. McCarthy the starting job in 2025 backfired spectacularly. The guy the Vikings landed on was Kyler Murray, who got released by the Arizona Cardinals after flaming out under center for them.
Given how poorly McCarthy performed last season, the overarching belief was that Murray had the inside track to be the team’s starter in Week 1. Throughout training camp, it became abundantly clear that was the case, as Murray spent the majority of his time working with the first-team offense.
Rather than dragging out this quarterback battle, the Vikings have reportedly named Murray their starter under center over the incumbent McCarthy on Tuesday afternoon.
Vikings Name Kyler Murray Their Starting Quarterback
Minnesota selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in hopes that he could become its quarterback of the future. After missing his entire rookie campaign with a meniscus injury, though, McCarthy made his debut last year, but he was arguably the worst passer in the league during his 10-game stint on the field (140/243, 1,632 YDS, 11 TD, 12 INT).
That led the Vikings to pursue Murray after he was released by the Cardinals. While he wasn’t particularly effective during his five games of action last season (110/161, 962 YDS, 6 TD, 3 INT), Murray has a track record of success in the NFL, as he is a two-time Pro Bowler who also won the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
Despite head coach Kevin O’Connell’s best efforts to disguise the quarterback position as a battle between Murray and McCarthy, the writing was on the wall from the moment the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with Minnesota. Sure enough, one of the least suspenseful quarterback battles in recent memory was brought to a close when Murray was named the starter on Tuesday.
“ESPN sources: the Vikings have named Kyler Murray their starting QB,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X.
Vikings Officially Turn the Offense Over to Kyler Murray
GettyEAGAN, MINNESOTA – MAY 27: Kyler Murray #1 of the Minnesota Vikings participates in a drill during an OTA workout at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center on May 27, 2026 in Eagan, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Murray hasn’t been great over the past few seasons, as injuries have hampered him, but he is capable of taking the offense to a level that McCarthy currently is not. That could change in the future as McCarthy continues to develop behind the scenes, but it’s telling that Murray has been named the starter with nearly a full month left until the start of the regular season.
O’Connell has a history of reviving quarterbacks in the past (e.g., Sam Darnold), and the hope is that he can do the same thing with Murray. Just having him under center adds another threat for the Vikings on offense, as Murray can rip off plays on the ground with his legs when things aren’t opening up in the air. Now that the move has been made official, Minnesota can spend the next few weeks game-planning its offense around Murray in preparation for the start of the season.
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