Hi, Ky

In late April 2024, the Purple Daily podcast (which talks Minnesota Vikings 365 days per year) put on an NFL draft party at The Fillmore Minneapolis. The hope among Skol Nation was the Vikes could somehow get into the top 10 in the first round (they owned the #11 pick going into the night) to ensure they could draft one of the six blue chip quarterback prospects. Given the Vikings organization endured the veritable QB carousel over the previous 20 seasons, the hope was they could finally draft and develop a young quarterback to stabilize the most important position for an NFL franchise. 

Given the way the draft was projected to shake out, Michigan QB JJ McCarthy and Oregon QB Bo Nix would be available. Sure enough, the Vikings were able to trade up a slot and select the highly touted McCarthy. And the roof almost came off the Fillmore upon the announcement of the pick. 

#Skol nation has been anticipating this for more than 16 months. pic.twitter.com/sGWo7aOOAX

— Brad Carlson (@Brad_Carlson) September 10, 2025

If you would have told the euphoric Vikings faithful 23 months ago that the organization would be once again be in the midst of quarterback uncertainty after McCarthy's first two seasons, there might have been destruction of property. 

Yet, here we are. Again. 

The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year contract with quarterback Kyler Murray, the team confirmed Thursday.

For Murray, the deal provides an opportunity to revitalize his career, and for the Vikings, it allows them to elevate the quarterback play that largely doomed their 2025 season.

Minnesota will pay $1.3 million of Murray's $36.8 million salary for 2026. The Arizona Cardinals will pay the remainder as part of their decision to release him Wednesday. His new deal prohibits the Vikings from using a franchise or transition tag on him next offseason, sources told ESPN, giving him a guaranteed path to free agency if he wants it.

And what about McCarthy?

Asked whether he views Murray and McCarthy in competition, or if he had even answered it for himself yet, (head coach Kevin) O'Connell added: "Unless I'm confused in any way, shape or form, I don't believe we have to name one of those currently."

Let's get rid of the wiggle room: Murray was brought in to be the starter. And since he signed only a 1-yer deal, which includes a provision not allowing the team to franchise tag him after 2026, the Vikings will be in the exact same situation next year, which is uncertainty at the quarterback position. I'm fine with McCarthy riding the bench in 2026 while working on his mechanics, etc. on the side. But if I'm being honest, I would have preferred McCarthy be anointed the starter for 2026 while brining in a reliable veteran backup. And if, worst case scenario, McCarthy flounders in '26, you have a loaded 2027 quarterback draft where the Vikings could once again take a crack at solving this never-ending issue.

Another issue which has dogged the Vikings organization is the ownership group comprised of the Wilf family being content with 8-11 wins per season with an appearance in the NFC title game every 10 years. Unfortunately, that hasn't translated to even one Super Bowl appearance, much less a championship. Heck, only once in the Wilfs' tenure has the team even made consecutive playoff appearances (2008 & 2009). While I'm not an advocate of "tanking," I would prefer letting the roster bottom out from natural causes and then rebuilding through the draft as well as savvy free agent signings. But that would entail hiring a General Manager who can actually hit on some draft picks which, unfortunately, did not happen nearly enough under GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. As such, he was fired from his job earlier this year after only four seasons. 

In the end, I believe Murray is a better option at QB in 2026 than McCarthy. But if he was brought in as a mercenary to lead the team to a Super Bowl, that would appear a stretch since the roster is not markedly better than it was last year when they amassed only 9 wins while missing out on the postseason. And since there will not be a permanent GM hired until after the draft, you're left with salary cap specialist Rob Brzezinski, coach O'Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores tasked with selecting players who, at minimum, need to be contributors right away. 

Bottom line: missing out on the postseason in '26 may well result in the Wilfs once again cleaning house. 

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