Kyler Murray Makes First Comments After Signing With Vikings

It didn’t take too long for Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray to begin getting acquainted with his new team.

A day after he was officially released by the Cardinals following seven seasons with the franchise that drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2019, Murray visited Minnesota and signed with the team on a one-year deal. Shortly after, he spoke to local media for the first time while donning a Vikings sweatshirt.

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For Murray, he gets the opportunity to play for the team he rooted for growing up. Though Murray was raised in Texas, he has been a fan of the Vikings since he began playing tackle football at the age of seven and acknowledged he cried “real tears” when Brett Favre threw an interception in the 2009 NFC championship game. Murray said “never in a million years” did he think his fandom would come full circle like this.

LIVE: @K1 talks the media after signing with the #Vikings https://t.co/qkKEVewhAW
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 12, 2026

Not only will Murray play for the team he cheered for as a kid, but he feels the Vikings are a good fit for him as he enters the next phase of his career. In particular, Murray believes he’s a fit for what head coach Kevin O’Connell has done for quarterbacks in Minnesota’s offense. O’Connell has become known as a quarterback whisperer, and played a pivotal part in Sam Darnold’s resurgence. Murray could very well experience the same leap under O’Connell.

Murray shared that he and O’Connell go back to his Elite 11 days. During the pre-draft process in 2019, he had a meeting with the Commanders at the combine, where O’Connell was then the team’s offensive coordinator.

“He pulled me aside after my meeting with them,” Murray recalled. “Ever since then, he’s always made sure to check on me, whether it was after a game, things like that. I always respected that, I always appreciated his opinion of me and the support he’s given me. Getting to play for him and have that relationship with him means the world. He’s had a lot of success with different quarterbacks and he’s one of the best offensive minds in the game. I’m looking forward to going to work with him.”

Along with O’Connell, Murray will get to play alongside Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson. Murray has not spoken to Jefferson since joining the Vikings, but has previously met him at the Pro Bowl.

"Everybody knows what type of talent he is, what type of player he is and his ability is through the roof,” Murray said. “I'm just super excited to get to work with him, to get to call him a teammate, to get to go to war with him."

Murray is expected to compete with third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the starting job in Minnesota. McCarthy has 10 games of experience, and though he displayed growth throughout the 2025 season, the Vikings clearly did not feel confident in him as the surefire starter going forward, leading them to sign Murray.

When asked if he views this as him coming as the starting quarterback or if it will be a competition, Murray said, “I’m just grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to coming in and competing, getting to learn the offense, getting to be with Coach O’Connell. Obviously he’s had a lot of success. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to come in here and compete.”

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