Given their salary-cap constraints, the Minnesota Vikings weren't expected to be big players in free agency, unlike a year ago at this time when they dished out close to $270 million in new contracts.
Now, it's not as if the Vikes didn't make any moves during this initial wave, as they added some cornerback depth in veteran James Pierre, while also taking care of some in-house business, tendering Ivan Pace Jr. and Jalen Redmond, both of whom are still on the roster at the time of this writing, re-signing Tavierre Thomas and Andrew DePaola, and restructuring the contract of Aaron Jones.
But Minnesota also lost several players, as defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen were released, while center Ryan Kelly retired. Wideout Jalen Nailor also opted to leave, signing a lucrative deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
But the biggest story surrounding the Vikings this past week, of course, is the addition of quarterback Kyler Murray, who was released by the Arizona Cardinals after seven seasons, and will now compete with J.J. McCarthy for the QB1 role in Minnesota.
Given the parameters of his contract with Arizona, Murray will still collect $35.3 million from the Cards in 2026, which is why the Vikings were able to get him for the league minimum of $1.3 million.
Now, signing a former No. 1 overall pick is obviously big news, but it's not as if Murray is anywhere near the same quarterback he was when he won Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned back-to-back trips to the Pro Bowl in his second and third seasons, as he's dealt with a plethora of injuries in recent years and was even benched this past year. And that's why the Vikings' odds to win Super Bowl 61 haven't changed much.
Super Bowl 61 odds for Minnesota Vikings go up slightly after Kyler Murray signing
In the days that followed Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks taking an emphatic 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, we took a look at the way-too-early odds for Super Bowl 61, which will be contested on Valentine's Day of next year at SoFi Stadium, which serves as the joint home of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams.
At that time, Minnesota's odds of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time ever stood at +6000, only good for a tie for 19th alongside the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Washington Commanders.
Now, while the Vikings have seen their odds slightly improve to +5500, they've also dropped slightly in the overall rankings to 20th.
Team | Super Bowl 61 | AFC | NFC |
|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Rams | +750 | — | +400 |
Seattle Seahawks | +900 | — | +475 |
Baltimore Ravens | +900 | +450 | — |
Buffalo Bills | +900 | +475 | — |
Kansas City Chiefs | +1500 | +750 | — |
Green Bay Packers | +1500 | — | +750 |
Philadelphia Eagles | +1600 | — | +800 |
San Francisco 49ers | +1700 | — | +800 |
Los Angeles Chargers | +1700 | +850 | — |
Detroit Lions | +1700 | — | +850 |
Houston Texans | +1800 | +900 | — |
New England Patriots | +1800 | +950 | — |
Denver Broncos | +1900 | +1000 | — |
Jacksonville Jaguars | +2500 | +1200 | — |
Chicago Bears | +2500 | — | +1300 |
Dallas Cowboys | +3000 | — | +1600 |
Cincinnati Bengals | +3000 | +1400 | — |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +4000 | — | +1900 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | +5000 | +2200 | — |
Minnesota Vikings | +5500 | — | +2800 |
Washington Commanders | +6500 | — | +3500 |
Indianapolis Colts | +6500 | +3000 | — |
New York Giants | +7000 | — | +4500 |
New Orleans Saints | +7500 | — | +4000 |
Carolina Panthers | +9000 | — | +4500 |
Tennessee Titans | +10000 | +4500 | — |
Atlanta Falcons | +10000 | — | +4500 |
New York Jets | +16000 | +7500 | — |
Miami Dolphins | +16000 | +7500 | — |
Las Vegas Raiders | +16000 | +7500 | — |
Cleveland Browns | +16000 | +7500 | — |
Arizona Cardinals | +30000 | — | +15000 |
So, as you can see, Murray didn't make that much of a difference, as Minnesota only has the 10th-best odds among NFC teams to even make Super Bowl 61 at +2800.
Furthermore, while the divisional breakdowns aren't included in the table above, the Vikings have the worst odds to win the NFC North at +600.
The Detroit Lions are the current favorites at +175, with the Green Bay Packers sitting in a close second at +185 and the Chicago Bears in third at +330.
All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.