The Minnesota Vikings are putting a lot on Kyler Murray as they head into the 2026 season. But if the internal pressure wasn’t enough, the rest of the NFL has added more urgency, as Joe Burrow has joined the growing list of quarterbacks who may not be able to save them if Murray doesn’t pan out.
Burrow was a potential option for the Vikings in 2027 as fans speculated about his future with the Cincinnati Bengals. While Burrow said earlier this summer that he viewed this season as a “now or never” situation, the 29-year-old recently expressed his loyalty to the organization during an interview with the team’s website.
“I mean what I say.
I’m here for the long haul. I’m not going anywhere.”
The odds of Burrow landing in Minnesota were about as good as winning the lottery. But even if things could change with a disastrous season, his comments take another 2027 option off the board.
With Baker Mayfield agreeing to a three-year contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, the Vikings’ options for next season are dwindling unless Murray steps up and becomes the quarterback they think he can be.
Kyler Murray may already be the best QB option for the Minnesota Vikings in 2027
Entering this season, the Vikings’ quarterback carousel is spinning about as fast as the shady gravitron at a county fair.
J.J. McCarthy’s flop as Minnesota’s starter last year inspired the Vikings to sign Murray this offseason, but he’s not a sure thing after a lukewarm tenure with the Arizona Cardinals.
Since then, analysts have said similar things about Murray.
The Vikings’ supporting cast is better than the Arizona Cardinals'. Kevin O’Connell should elevate him to the next level. His dual-threat ability is something O’Connell has never had in his offense, and his consistency should raise Minnesota's floor after going 9-8 without a functional quarterback last season.
With this in mind, Vikings fans have a vision of Murray transforming into a smaller, more mobile version of 2024 Sam Darnold. But with a career record of 38-48-1 as a starter, there’s a bigger chance that Murray is just okday.
In that event, paying Murray $30-to-$40 million (or potentially more) per season may have Minnesota seeing ghosts of past decisions. But if that happens, they may also try to see what else is out there.
The 2027 quarterback class is loaded with talent, including Oregon’s Dante Moore, Texas’s Arch Manning, Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr, Miami’s Darian Mensah, and USC’s Jayden Maiava.
But as the 2024 draft showed, the Vikings may not be bad enough to get the quarterback they want and may not have the patience to develop a long-term option after what happened with McCarthy.
Going back to McCarthy is also an option. But it feels unlikely after he failed to show improvement and suffered an ankle injury during the preseason.
That leaves the veteran market, which is already drying up. Mayfield was a logical option before he agreed to his extension on Tuesday, and while Burrow was a pipe dream, it was at least possible if the Bengals crashed and burned this year.
Unless a quarterback appears on the trade market, the Vikings would be diving into a free-agent option such as Mac Jones, leaving Minnesota with an extremely underwhelming option moving forward.
Minnesota Vikings need Kyler Murray to solidify their quarterback plans
With this in mind, the pressure is on Murray to perform. While it hasn’t shown up in his win-loss record, he has been an effective starter in the past, completing 67.1 percent of his passes with an average of 3,998 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions per 17 games.
Those numbers also came without Justin Jefferson, who seemingly could make any quarterback look good before McCarthy’s poor performance last season.
A revised running game should also help Murray while taking advantage of his running ability, and if he takes care of the football, the Vikings should be able to get more out of their offense and have a quarterback worth starting in 2027.
While Murray is only under contract for this season, the best-case scenario is that he proves to be a capable starter for multiple years. And with each quarterback that seems to be staying put, a strong performance may be necessary to ensure stability at quarterback going into next season.
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