Kyler Murray signs with Vikings, creates QB competition with JJ McCarthy after Cardinals release: reports

Kyler Murray is heading north, joining the Minnesota Vikings connected a one-year woody aft his merchandise by the Arizona Cardinals connected Wednesday, according to aggregate reports.

Murray present creates superior contention for J.J. McCarthy, the 2024 NFL Draft’s No. 10 wide prime who hasn’t had the champion of starts to his aboriginal career.

The Cardinals inactive beryllium Murray $36.8 million, which makes this a seasoned league minimum woody for the Vikings — a low-risk, high-reward signing that could bode good for caput manager Kevin O’Connell.

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Former Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is flying northbound to articulation the Minnesota Vikings connected a one-year deal. (Rick Scuteri/AP Photo)

Murray reportedly visited the Vikings connected Thursday, and the content was helium wouldn’t permission the gathering without a declaration ironed out.

The Vikings were reported arsenic the "overwhelming favorite" to onshore Murray contempt having McCarthy entering his 3rd play successful 2026.

VIKINGS EMERGE AS ‘OVERWHELMING FAVORITE’ TO LAND KYLER MURRAY AFTER CARDINALS RELEASE: REPORT

McCarthy, who didn’t play his rookie twelvemonth owed to a season-ending wounded successful the preseason, got his archetypal sensation of regular-season NFL football successful 2025. But McCarthy struggled contempt a 6-4 grounds successful 10 games, arsenic injuries outgo him clip connected the sideline yet again. 

Murray’s summation confirms McCarthy’s presumption astatine backmost is successful limbo.

But Murray has had his ain roller-coaster, seven-year tenure with Arizona, going 38-48-1 successful 87 games. He apologized to Cardinals fans past week, confirming the team’s intentions to merchandise him contempt inactive owing him $36.8 cardinal successful guaranteed wealth from his five-year, $230.5 cardinal hold helium signed successful 2022. 

"To everyone that supported maine and showed kindness to my household and I during my clip successful AZ, from the bottommost of my heart, convey you," Murray wrote connected X. "I wanted thing much than to beryllium the 1 to extremity the 77-year drought for this organization, I americium atrocious I failed us. I privation this assemblage and my brothers thing but the best. 

Murray reportedly visited the Vikings connected Thursday. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

"I americium nary alien to adversity, I americium prepared for whatever’s next. I spot successful God and my enactment ethic. I genuinely judge my champion shot is successful beforehand of maine and I look guardant to proving it. Godspeed."

Last season, Murray went 2-3 successful his 5 games, throwing for six touchdowns and 3 interceptions earlier a ft wounded knocked him retired the remainder of the way. Jacoby Brissett, who figures to instrumentality implicit arsenic the team’s starter successful the 2nd twelvemonth of the two-year woody helium signed past offseason with the franchise, took implicit for Murray and thrived contempt what the grounds said. He threw for a career-high 3,366 yards with 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. 

The Cardinals, though, finished 3-14, and the franchise went successful a antithetic absorption and fired caput manager Jonathan Gannon. Mike LaFleur, who served arsenic the Los Angeles Rams’ violative coordinator, is his replacement heading into 2026. 

But, aboriginal successful his Cardinals tenure, Murray was a subordinate to physique astir aft making back-to-back Pro Bowls successful 2020 and 2021, the second of which helium threw for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 423 yards with 5 scores connected the ground. He besides rushed for 819 yards with 11 rushing scores successful 2020, a portion of his crippled that made him truthful electric.

Murray's accomplishment creates superior contention for Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Injuries, though, person hampered Murray’s career, including a torn ACL successful Week 14 of the 2022 play that resulted successful him missing 9 games successful 2023. Then, aft a afloat 17-game play successful 2024, helium injured a foot.

Zooming out, Murray’s summation to the Vikings leaves the Pittsburgh Steelers genuinely leaning connected Aaron Rodgers to instrumentality successful 2026, arsenic they’ve been waiting for his determination to reunite with caller caput manager Mike McCarthy oregon not. The New York Jets (Geno Smith), Miami Dolphins (Malik Willis) and Atlanta Falcons (Tua Tagovailoa) made moves this week astatine the position.

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