Cowherd Flips Again: Vikings His Surprise Breakout Team After Kyler Addition

Colin Cowherd is back on the Vikings bandwagon following the signing of former No. 1 pick Kyler Murray. The Fox Sports radio host famously trashed the Vikings for dumping Sam Darnold in favor of J.J. McCarthy last offseason. He spent much of the summer criticizing McCarthy's ability, saying Minnesota had the "worst roster in the NFC North," and even accused Vikings media of 'lifting up' the young quarterback. After he was proven kind of right on the McCarthy front, Vikings fans will be hoping his strong prediction for Minnesota this upcoming season comes true as well.

"Every year I pick a team that I think is already pretty good and is going to go into next year much better than everybody thinks," said Cowherd on Friday. "I'm going to do that with Minnesota."

Minnesota made their splash signing of the offseason on Thursday, inking former Cardinals QB Kyler Murray to a one-year, veteran minimum deal. Murray will almost assuredly come in and take over the QB1 role for Minnesota after McCarthy struggled with consistency and injuries in 2025.

"So, their over-under is 8.5, I think they have a chance to be an 11-win team," continued Cowherd. "You think it's crazy, but their defense last year, with Brian Flores, was exceptional. I think their offensive line was banged up, and it's very good. So, this goes back to Kyler Murray, like Sam Darnold, (coming from a) bad organization. You keep asking, 'Who's the next Sam?' I think it's Kyler with Kevin O'Connell. Great weapons, legit left tackle, tight end is a star."

"It's official. Every year I pick a team that I think is already pretty good but is going to be much better than everybody thinks. I'm gonna do that with Minnesota."@colincowherd argues Kyler Murray immediately raises the floor for the Vikings pic.twitter.com/NKDCDHFzhu
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 13, 2026

The addition of Murray could instantly put the Vikings back into contender status in a difficult NFC North. Despite offensive struggles, Minnesota pulled out a nine-win season in 2025. The only real pieces Minnesota has lost so far this offseason are WR3 Jalen Nailor, veteran center Ryan Kelly due to retirement, and veteran defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. That list could potentially add Harrison Smith, depending on his retirement decision. Other than that, Minnesota is largely bringing back the same roster and plugging in a player who at times has been one of the league's most dynamic quarterbacks.

Kevin O'Connell's previous success with veteran quarterbacks has many experts thinking Murray can be the latest quarterback to undergo a career resurgence in a new home. If Murray does, in fact, raise his game under the tutelage of O'Connell, the Vikings could prove to be a dangerous team in 2026.

Cowherd even went so far as to say that the Vikings were his "Seahawks of next year." Calling the Vikings a potential Seahawks-level team after Seattle just won the Super Bowl might seem like a bit of a stretch, but with competent QB play in 2022 and 2024, O'Connell had the Vikings winning 13+ games.

Other national media members think highly of the Vikings' chances with Murray this year, too. "This may be the most consequential transaction in the last five years in the NFL," former GM Mike Tannenbaum boldly claimed on ESPN's Get Up. "To get a startig quarterback at 29 years old for $1.3 million ... this is incredible value."

"When Kyler is playing well, he's as good as just about anybody in football," Domonique Foxworth said earlier this week. "If they can find a way to sustain that success that he's had ... we're looking at the best team, right up there with the Rams, in the NFC."