What Kyler Murray signing means for J.J. McCarthy, Vikings QB depth chart

The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to a deal with free agent quarterback Kyler Murray. It is a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter, worth the veteran's minimum. 

The veteran QB was released by the Arizona Cardinals as they opted to go in a different direction under new head coach Mike LaFleur. The Cardinals are paying him $36.8 million to not play for them, which allowed Minnesota to offer the former starting quarterback a much cheaper deal than you'd typically expect.

Murray had a tumultuous career with the Cardinals, but he will look to start fresh and compete for a starting job. He will join a Minnesota quarterback room that currently consists of third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy and second-year quarterback Max Brosmer, but could still be added to. 

Here is more on how the Murray signing impacts McCarthy and the rest of the Vikings' QB room. 

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What Kyler Murray signing means for J.J. McCarthy

Minnesota signing Murray means that McCarthy is going to have competition for the starting job this offseason. Murray was supposed to be Arizona's starter, but a Week 5 foot injury ended up sidelining him for the remainder of the season. Similarly, McCarthy was expected to be the Vikings' starter after missing his entire rookie season. From injuries and poor play, McCarthy only played in 10 games and struggled. 

Murray is more of a mobile quarterback, while McCarthy has the size closer to the typical NFL QB. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, and it will be a preseason battle worth watching as head coach Kevin O'Connell determines who he feels gives the Vikings the best chance of winning. 

MORE: Inside Kevin O'Connell's history of QB reclamation projects

Vikings QB depth chart

Kyler Murray 

Murray was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cardinals. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after throwing for 3,722 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and adding 544 yards and four scores on the ground. 

The dual-threat quarterback improved in his next two seasons, but then began dealing with injuries that limited him to a combined 19 games between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Murray played all 17 games in 2024, putting up good not great numbers with 3,851 passing yards and 21 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. 

He was off to a decent start in the 2025 season but suffered a season-ending foot injury. Murray is an intriguing option because he would be the most mobile quarterback that O'Connell will have had in his Minnesota tenure. 

J.J. McCarthy

McCarthy was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He missed the entirety of the 2024 regular season with a torn ACL, but he was able to fully recover in time to be named the starter in 2025. McCarthy started the season well, winning the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week Award for his game against the Chicago Bears. 

The QB later suffered a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a small hairline fracture in his throwing hand that caused him to only play 10 games in total on the year. McCarthy finished with 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He completed fewer than 58% of his passes, but he did add four additional touchdowns on the ground. 

Max Brosmer

Brosmer wasn't expected to factor into the Minnesota game plan when he was signed as an undrafted free agent. The intention was for him to add depth to the quarterback room, but he ended up playing in seven games. Brosmer started two games and went 1-1 with 328 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. 

He was given the chance to start with McCarthy dealing with injuries, but ended up just being a continuation of the QB woes that had plagued the franchise for the majority of the season. 

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Why Vikings signed Kyler Murray

The Vikings signed Murray to compete for the starting quarterback job. He is a mobile quarterback who can help open up the offense with his legs, but his size has always been a knock on him. While Murray has struggled, quarterbacks of his caliber and experience would normally demand a much larger contract than what Minnesota gave him, but because Arizona is still paying him more than $30 million, the Vikings made a low-risk decision to bring in QB competition for McCarthy. 

Kyler Murray contract details

Murray signed a one-year deal worth the NFL's veteran minimum. Because he's played seven seasons in the league already, that would equate to a minimum salary of $1.3 million, per Over the Cap. Minnesota was able to sign him to such a cheap deal because Arizona will still be paying him some of the guaranteed money that he is owed. While the Vikings only have to pay him $1.3 million, the Cardinals are on the hook to pay the QB $36.8 million.