It had to follow proper procedure, and the Arizona Cardinals held out on making his release official for as long as possible. But Kyler Murray, as seemed inevitable for weeks, is a member of the Minnesota Vikings and the clear-cut favorite to be the starting quarterback next season.
Now the focus moves to what might come next, in terms of setting Murray up to succeed in Kevin O'Connell's offense. The Vikings also aren't in a position to spend a lot of money on any of those kind of reinforcements, which can actually be a good thing since it can narrow the focus.
To further narrow things on that front for the Vikings, a focus could (or even should) be on players Murray is familiar with from his seven seasons in Arizona. Maybe Murray would offer a strong endorsement for some guys with whom he had a particular rapport and/or a particularly good relationship with.
5 former Arizona Cardinals who could follow Kyler Murray to the Minnesota Vikings
Evan Brown - OL
Evan Brown was just released after two seasons with the Cardinals. He started 28 games at left guard over those two campaigns, but he has experience at center and right guard as well over the last handful of seasons with the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, and the Cardinals.
The expected retirement of center Ryan Kelly leaves the Vikings spread thin in terms of options to replace him, and spread thin for interior offensive line depth in general. Brown can definitely help there.
Chase Edmonds - RB
After appearing to be on his way out, Aaron Jones agreed to a contract restructure to stay with the Vikings. But he's an older running back coming off missing five games last season, and additional depth is needed. Jordan Mason should have seen more work than him when both were healthy last season, but that did not materialize.
After spending the 2024 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on IR and spending most of last season on the Washington Commanders' practice squad (three games played), Edmunds unsurprisingly remains a free agent.
The last time Edmunds even had 70 carries in a season was 2021, the last of his four with the Cardinals and the last of three seasons where he overlapped with Murray there. That was also the second of back-to-back campaigns where he had at least 850 yards from scrimmage and more than 40 receptions.
Edmonds doesn't have a lot of options if he wants to continue playing, and neither do the Vikings if they'd like to add another veteran running back to the mix. Sprinkle in history with Murray, and there could be a match.
Zach Ertz - TE
Ertz suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 last season while playing for the Commanders, against the Vikings as it were, but he intends to play in 2026 and expects to be fully healthy by around Week 1.
Before the last two seasons in Washington, Ertz spent two-plus seasons with the Cardinals. Injuries shortened his two full campaigns in Arizona, but after being acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, he had an instant rapport with Murray (56 receptions in 11 games).
With a patent lack of options to replace him, the Vikings worked out a contract restructuring to keep T.J. Hockenson as their No. 1 tight end next season. But in terms of another proven pass catcher at the position, Josh Oliver is an occasional touchdown vulture and little else.
Ertz, with 116 catches over the last two seasons, clearly has something left. If Murray is going to vouch for anyone to join him in Minnesota, he's near the top of the list.
Christian Kirk - WR
The easily foreseen departure of Jalen Nailor in free agency leaves the Vikings in need of a No. 3 wide receiver, and Tai Felton is a hopeful projection more than anything concrete on that front.
Injuries have limited Kirk to a total of 33 games over the last three seasons, and his production has dwindled. But he topped 600 yards in five straight seasons from 2019-2023, and the first three of those seasons were in Arizona with Murray as his quarterback. A 77-catch, 982-yard season in 2022 allowed Kirk to cash in with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024 free agency.
Beyond his production history with the Vikings' new signal caller, Kirk also happens to be BFFs with Murray.
DeAndre Hopkins - WR
Approaching 34 years old, Hopkins' days as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL are undoubtedly behind him. However, he has averaged more than 14 yards per catch in two of the last three seasons and clearly has a little something left in the tank.
The last time he averaged more than five targets per game (2023 with the Tennessee Titans), he had 75 catches for more than 1,000 yards with seven touchdowns.
Hopkins, of course, also has history with Murray in Arizona, highlighted by their first season together in 2020 when Hopkins had 115 receptions for 1,407 yards. Then a knee injury shortened his 2021 campaign with the Cardinals, and a performance-enhancing drug suspension postponed the start to his 2022 season there.
Hopkins had eight touchdown catches before the 2021 knee injury, all from Murray. After returning from the suspension in 2022, he averaged more than 10 targets per game with Murray under center before Murray suffered a torn ACL.
For what it's worth, as Murray landing with the Vikings was gathering noteworthy steam, Hopkins endorsed the idea of Justin Jefferson and Murray being a top-end QB-WR duo like he and Murray were. Maybe the future Hall of Famer wants to join the party in Minnesota.