In four years on the job, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has worked with eight different starting quarterbacks. The ninth one could be the most intriguing.
Kyler Murray arrives, seven years after entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft — and four years after the Cardinals permanently poisoned their relationship with him by jamming a homework clause into his second contract. He has more raw talent than any of the others with whom O’Connell has worked.
Yes, there are flaws. His height, for starters. It’s far below prototypical, and it creates a real challenge when it comes to seeing through the wall of humanity in front of him. It’s the kind of obstacle O’Connell will embrace, scheming plays to get Murray in position to spot the open targets and/or to make him trust what he can’t visually acquire. At times, it could be like flying a plane with just the instruments.
Regardless, Murray can make the throws. He can buy time with his feet. And, if all else fails, he can spot an opening and put the pedal to the metal.
Of the quarterbacks who have started under O’Connell — Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer — Hall is the closest comparison to Murray. At six feet, Hall is only two inches taller than Murray. Like Murray, Hall was regarded as a dual-threat quarterback.
The Vikings made Hall a fifth-round pick in 2023. And while it didn’t work for Hall in Minnesota (he got the first start after Cousins tore an Achilles tendon in 2023, and Hall suffered a concussion at the end of a nine-play, 74-yard drive that resulted in a field goal), Murray has a much better arm — and much fleeter feet. (Hall, after spending 2024 with the Seahawks, is preparing for his first season in the UFL, with the Birmingham Stallions.)
Then there’s the difference between the Cardinals and the Vikings, as overall organizations. Beyond the ridiculous decision to reduce to writing an expectation that Murray show a greater commitment to his craft, the Cardinals have been among the group of dysfunctional organizations that more often than not find themselves jockeying for position in the top ten of the draft. Now, Murray lands with a team that typically lands in the middle of the pack, with an every-other-year trend (generally) of getting to the playoffs.
And, yes, the Vikings are less than 15 months removed from a winner-take-all Week 18 game for the top seed in the NFC.
In recent years, we’ve seen several quarterbacks find success with a team other than the one that drafted them. From Geno Smith to Baker Mayfield to Darnold to Daniel Jones, a change of scenery, of coaching, of teammates, of organization can unlock a higher level of performance.
Murray, of course, has already played at a high level. He was the offensive rookie of the year. He qualified for the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021. His second contract resulted in a new-money annual average that put him at $46.1 million, a click above the Deshaun Watson deal, which had matched Patrick Mahomes for the top APY of $45 million. No one suggested that the Cardinals had overpaid.
Of course, the dip started that same year. But Murray didn’t implode; he simply didn’t play as well as he had during his first three seasons. Along the way, coach Kliff Kingsbury was fired and replaced by Jonathan Gannon, who was recently fired after three seasons and a 15-36 record.
So was it Murray or was it the Cardinals? The Vikings have made a low-money bet ($1.3 million) on it being the latter. And if O’Connell can get Murray back to doing what he did in 2019 through 2021, the Vikings could end up with the best overall player at the quarterback position that they’ve had since O’Connell arrived in 2022.
They finished 2025 with five straight wins and somehow escaped the basement of the ultra-competitive NFC North, thanks largely to a defense orchestrated by Brian Flores. And while the entire roster is dealing with a cap-driven overhaul, plenty of players who know the system well will be back.
Ultimately, how things go in 2026 will depend on how the quarterback position goes. Which will depend on whether O’Connell can coax enough out of Murray — first to position him to win the starting job and second to help propel the team to victories.
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