5 winners (and 2 losers) from the Vikings signing quarterback Kyler Murray

The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason was on life support, but Kyler Murray just gave fans the shot in the arm they desperately needed.

The polarizing, former No. 1 overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals spent less than 48 hours on the open market after getting released on Wednesday. He not only started his free-agent tour in Minnesota but also signed a contract and Zoomed with members of the local media by Thursday evening.

He might not end up being the Vikings’ savior, but he’s a massive addition to one of the worst quarterback rooms in football last season. As for the ripple effect, here are the top winners and losers from Murray landing in the Twin Cities.

Recently signed quarterback Kyler Murray just gave the Minnesota Vikings a much-needed jolt on offense.

Winners

Vikings fans (and anyone else following the NFC North)

Unless you love watching defensive-minded, low-scoring slogs, the Vikings were a tough watch in 2025. The offense had zero juice with Carson Wentz, J.J. McCarthy, and Max Brosmer taking turns under center. Even the die-hard fantasy football community had to avert their eyes while praying for Justin Jefferson to get the ball.

The Vikings just became more interesting, literally overnight, and that is a win not only for Vikings fans looking forward to training camp this summer, but for casual fans of the NFC North and the league as a whole. If Murray brings anything to the table, it’s juice from a national perspective.

Kyler Murray 

Vikings fans absolutely ate up the fact that Carson Wentz grew up in North Dakota as a die-hard fan of the team. It’s a big reason why former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and crew were able to get away with their gross mismanagement of the quarterback room last year, particularly the QB2 spot. 

Well, the buy-in on Murray took literally no time at all. Similar to Wentz, he was a Vikings fan growing up and revealed he was in tears when Brett Favre threw his infamous interception during the 2009 NFC Championship Game.

Murray clearly knows how to win the fans over, and it’s pretty cool that he gets to suit up for his childhood team while still in his prime. Also, going from Arizona to Minnesota is the football equivalent of leaving the kids' table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Rob Brzezinski 

Minnesota’s front office is in a rough spot, working to navigate the late decision to fire Adofo-Mensah until after the NFL Draft. With that said, what a gift this was for acting GM Rob Brzezinski and the entire staff. 

Murray’s only going to cost the Vikings $1.3 million in 2026 after he was released by the Cardinals, who will be footing all the guaranteed cash remaining on his previous contract. That comes out to roughly $38.6 million, so Arizona will legitimately be cutting the checks for Murray to play for Minnesota this season.

Brzezinski is dealing with a less-than-ideal financial situation, and the team has already moved on from the likes of Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen, Jalen Nailor, and Harrison Smith. Landing a potential starting quarterback for pennies on the dollar is a major win at this stage of the offseason.

Justin Jefferson

Is there a bigger winner? Jefferson did his best to hold it together last season, but it was clearly painful. Wentz did an OK job of getting him the football in his five starts, but neither McCarthy nor Brosmer could properly utilize the best wide receiver in football.

Murray has never had that problem. He famously peppered DeAndre Hopkins with 160 targets in 2020. More recently, he locked onto Trey McBride, helping him blossom into one of the top pass-catching tight ends in football.

If there’s a knock on Murray, it’s that he’s never been a great point guard at the position. He’s not the “everybody eats” style of passer. But he can definitely get the football to an alpha No. 1 target, and Jefferson has to be smiling about that fact right now.

Brian Flores

You could argue that the Vikings’ biggest signing this offseason wasn’t Murray, but Flores, who agreed to a contract extension during this year’s hiring cycle to remain Minnesota’s defensive coordinator. The Vikings winning nine games last year was a minor miracle, and it had a lot to do with Flores’ defense allowing less than 10 points on average over the team’s season-closing, five-game win streak.

The Vikings were dead last in football last season on third down, averaging just 3.6 total conversions per game, per Team Rankings. Better time of possession and more scoring could help Flores’ unit return to being one of the most dominant units in the league in 2026.

Losers

J.J. McCarthy

McCarthy will now enter training camp on the wrong end of a quarterback competition. Murray’s a veteran in his prime with a ton to prove, and the Vikings did McCarthy no favors in 2025. He clearly wasn’t ready to lead the franchise coming off a rookie season that was completely derailed due to injury.

This might only be a one-year marriage for Murray, but he should be given every opportunity to win the job and earn the trust of the Vikings’ veteran skill position group. This could wind up being a red-shirt year for McCarthy, in Year 3, which is definitely not how either party drew it up for the No. 10 overall draft pick.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The good news for Vikings fans is they won’t be held hostage by Aaron Rodgers chatter all summer. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Perhaps the Steelers are fine running it back with Rodgers, whenever he decides to hop on Pat McAfee’s show and announce his 2026 decision. But would a now healthy, 28-year-old Murray on a veteran minimum contract be a better bridge option than Rodgers, who will turn 43 in December? After Rodgers completely crumbled behind a lackluster offensive line in the AFC playoffs last year?

The answer to that question is an obvious yes.