Murray gets the keys in Minnesota
The Vikings have a new number one. ESPN reported today that Minnesota will hand its starting quarterback job to Kyler Murray, pushing 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy back to the bench before the season even opens.
Murray signed a one-year deal this offseason after the Arizona Cardinals released him. Now he steps into a role that keeps changing hands. He becomes the fourth straight different Week 1 starter for the Vikings, following Kirk Cousins in 2023, Sam Darnold in 2024 and McCarthy in 2025.
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A gamble on a former No. 1 pick
Murray arrived in the league as the top overall selection in 2019 out of Oklahoma. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year that fall and made the Pro Bowl in each of his next two seasons. The years since have been harder to read. He played a career-low five games in 2025 before a foot injury ended his year on injured reserve, throwing for 962 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Availability is the real question. Murray has completed a full regular season just once in the past five years, back in 2024. Across 87 career games, all starts, he owns a 38-48-1 record with 20,460 passing yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions, plus 3,193 rushing yards and 32 scores on the ground. That dual-threat element is why Minnesota is willing to bet on him.
McCarthy pays the price
For McCarthy, the demotion stings. The 10th overall pick in 2024 lost his entire rookie year to a torn meniscus, then inherited the job when Darnold left for Seattle. His first real action was uneven. In 10 starts last season the 23-year-old completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, adding 181 rushing yards and four scores while going 6-4. He keeps his upside and his youth. He just lost the huddle, for now.
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