The Minnesota Vikings are set to open training camp in a few weeks, and one of the biggest mysteries has to do with Kyler Murray. The former No. 1 overall pick is the presumed favorite to win the job over J.J. McCarthy, and with Kevin O’Connell and Justin Jefferson at his disposal, many believe he will get his career on track in Minnesota.
Legendary former Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter is among the chorus who brought up the same refrain during a recent interview on NFL Network.
After speaking about how most embattled quarterbacks find magic after putting on a Vikings helmet, he also noted that Murray’s dual-threat ability can bring something Minnesota hasn’t had at the position in a while.
“I think he will definitely be the starter, but he will bring an ingredient to the Vikings offense that we haven’t had in years, and that’s a guy who is built to run.
...When you look at the top quarterbacks now, every other one is a dual threat. When everything breaks down on third down, you have a guy who can get you a first down. And that’s what Kyler can do.”
Kyler Murray could have a historic rushing season for Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks
Carter’s analysis can be backed up by Vikings history. Over the past 25 years, Murray would have had four of the six highest rushing totals by a Minnesota quarterback over the past 25 years, including an 819-yard campaign with 11 touchdowns during the 2020 season.
The only Vikings quarterback who was in the same stratosphere as a dual threat was Daunte Culpepper, who currently still has the highest rushing total during that 25-year time frame, and that mark came all the way back in 2002.
Fun fact: Kyler Murray would have had 4 of the 6 highest rushing totals by a Vikings QB over the past 25 years.
— Chris Schad (@TheRealCrishad) July 16, 2026
1. Murray 819 ('20)
2. Daunte Culpepper 609 ('02)
3. Murray 572 ('24)
4. Murray 544 ('19)
5. Culpepper 470 ('00)
6. Murray 423 ('21) https://t.co/Hx0WlfSS3i
This could benefit the Vikings in a few ways. While recent quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold were more traditional pocket passers who allowed defenses to key in on Jefferson and the rest of Minnesota’s skill players, they also have to worry about Murray as a threat to take off.
The Vikings could also find a way to create more explosive plays on the ground. According to PFF, McCarthy had 156 rushing yards on scrambles last season over 10 games. While Murray is more mobile than his predecessors, he's in a different tier, racking up 145 scramble yards in five games last season.
That threat should free up Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, and explosive rookie Demond Claiborne to make more plays. But the looming question over all of this is whether O’Connell will allow it to happen.
O’Connell wants his quarterback to play within the framework of the offense, and at times it can lead to frustration when big plays are missed downfield.
Murray is a more accomplished quarterback than Joshua Dobbs is, but those struggles are fresh in the minds of Vikings fans who watched O’Connell attempt to shoehorn Dobbs into his offense after a 2023 trade.
Last season is also an important data point as O’Connell groaned over fundamentals throughout McCarthy’s first season as a starter and didn’t adapt to what his quarterback could do until the Vikings were 4-8 and virtually eliminated from playoff contention.
It makes training camp a big data point in how the relationship between O’Connell and Murray will work. But as Carter mentioned, Murray’s ability to create yards on the ground could be the key to creating more explosive plays for the Vikings next season.
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