Vikings name Kyler Murray starter: Why it was the right move and why Minnesota might need a new QB in 2027
The NFL's most anticlimactic quarterback competition is over. Kyler Murray won the Minnesota Vikings ' starting quarterback job over the incumbent J.J. McCarthy on Tuesday. Head coach Kevin O'Connell didn't even need to see either quarterback suit up in the team's preseason opener against the New York Giants on Saturday to make the call. Murray, a two-time Pro Bowler with selections in the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals , entered as the heavy favorite over McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft . That's because McCarthy ranked dead last in the NFL in 2025 in completion percentage (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12) and passer rating (72.6). His lack of production last season made him the only first-round pick quarterback since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to finish last in the league in both completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio in his debut season, per CBS Sports Research. Murray will be O'Connell's fourth different Week 1 starting quarterback since 2023 going from Kirk Cousins (2023) to Sam Darnold (2024) to McCarthy and now Murray. So will the promotion of Murray to the Vikings' QB1 spot break the never-ending wheel of Minnesota's starting quarterbacks across the last few years? Or will Minnesota once again be searching for another long-term answer at football's most important position in 2027? Here's a look at three reasons for each side of the argument. A clear driver in Murray's Pro Bowl-level success as the Arizona Cardinals' starting quarterback in 2020 and 2021 was the presence of a No. 1 option wide receiver in All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins . When he was able to launch the ball deep downfield to Hopkins with regularity in the early 2020s, Arizona's offense took flight, and the Cardinals made a playoff appearance in 2021, something the franchise had failed to do since 2015 when Carson Palmer was the starting quarterback. Without Hopkins, Murray's production was rather pedestrian. In Minnesota, wide receiver talent isn't an issue. He has 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson at his disposal in addition to former first-round pick Jordan Addison and the reliable Jauan Jennings . Jefferson is the obvious headliner here as one of three players in NFL history to total 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first six seasons -- Mike Evans and Randy Moss being the other two -- but Addison isn't a slouch either. His 22 career receiving touchdowns since 2023 are tied for the seventh-most in the league with Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews . Murray will be well-supported with one of the top receiver trios in football, plus former Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson . W-L 17-14 21-34-1 Team PPG 27.0 22.0 Pass yards per attempt 7.5 6.7 Passer rating 98.4 89.0 * Vikings WR core: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings Murray is now playing in the most en vogue offensive scheme in football in O'Connell's Shanahan-tree offense, which features staples like under-center formations, zone blocking and heavy doses of play-action passing and motion. This offensive scheme is designed to make a quarterback's life more simple by allowing them to diagnose a defense more easily through utilizing many similar formations, making the run and the pass look the same. That way a quarterback can rely on the pre-snap motion and play-action plays to find receivers to throw to without having to think as much. Having a playbook that will take some of the heavy lifting pre-snap off Murray's plate could be exactly what he needs to shine once again while executing the 2024 Coach of the Year's playbook. Murray's first seven NFL seasons have been statistically historic. He is one of just four players ever with 20,000-plus passing yards (20,460) and 30-plus rushing touchdowns (32) in their first seven seasons. The other three have all been NFL MVPs: Cam Newton , Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen . Murray's talent in Minnesota's offensive ecosystem could soar in 2 [... truncated ...]
