What Excites Vikings About Kyler Murray — and Why Carson Wentz is Back

After a season in which the Vikings were undone by inadequate quarterback play, the No. 1 priority of their spring was to build a deep, talented room at football's most important position.

The first step of that process — one that fell into their laps, to some extent — was signing Kyler Murray to a one-year, league-minimum deal after he was released by the Cardinals. They explored numerous options, but the opportunity to land a player as talented as Murray for basically nothing was too great to pass up.

A former No. 1 overall pick and two-time Pro Bowler, Murray is perhaps best known for his dynamic athleticism from the quarterback position. He helps make up for a lack of size by being extremely quick and difficult to corral in the open field; only Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts have more rushing yards than Murray among NFL QBs since he entered the league in 2019.

It'll be fascinating to see how Murray's dual-threat ability meshes with a Kevin O'Connell offense that has previously been led by pocket passers like Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. But in speaking to reporters at the NFL's Annual League Meeting on Monday, O'Connell reiterated something he brought up the night the Vikings signed Murray, which is that he feels the former Cardinals star is underrated in his ability to play from the pocket.

"I don't think he's gotten enough credit for playing in rhythm," O'Connell said. "We all recognize some of the highlight-reel ability that he has, and Kyler Murray has always had that level of talent. But I think sometimes what we don't recognize is the 3rd and 7 right before the huge scramble play ... where he hits (Trey) McBride away from some tight coverage on routes that are maybe similar to some of the things we'll do.

"Watching him play with really good technique and fundamentals, either in the dropback game, the play-action game can be done a lot of different ways. Offset gun, pistol, and under center. He's pretty dynamic in the keeper game, the movement game obviously with his natural athleticism. I see a lot of ways that we'll be able to continue the evolution and evolve our offense here in year five, but at the same time, principles that I believe Kyler will be able to not only make his own, but provide different layers to what we do with some of his experiences."

Kyler Murray | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Murray is the presumed starter, even if the Vikings aren't going to make any declaration on that front. They also have 23-year-old J.J. McCarthy, who is attacking a critical offseason for him after a highly disappointing 2025 season. And given the Vikings' previous experience with QB injuries in the O'Connell era, they wanted to have a third starting-caliber player in the room. That's why they brought back Carson Wentz, who started five games for them last fall before a shoulder injury ended his season.

"I just think it's about depth," O'Connell said of adding Wentz. "Without doing too much of a rearview mirror, looking backwards, you start seeing where the final standings were, where we were at at 9-8 and ultimately maybe the one or two or three plays or sequences of games where (if they had gone differently) you find your way into the dance.

"We've played three guys in one year (2025), we've played four in another (2023). We just feel like having the ability to get quality quarterback play throughout the circumstances that we do not control — (there's) historical data that says (when) we get quarterback play to a certain line, we win a lot of football games. So we wanted to ensure that we're able to do that, but also make it a very, very competitive room."

The Vikings liked what Wentz brought to their roster after they signed him last August, and they think he'll be even more comfortable in 2026 with a full training camp. Wentz, who grew up as a Vikings fan, also enjoyed his time in Minnesota. That may have been a factor in his decision to join the Vikings over other potential opportunities where he could've been more of a clear-cut QB2.

"We wanted to be patient and allow Carson to kind of see what opportunities may be out there, but at the same time, Carson knew from very early on in the offseason, regardless of what other move we made in that room, that we wanted him back," O'Connell said. "He loved being in Minnesota, he loves our fanbase, he loved getting to wear the purple and gold. I know for some people it might be a 'Why would Carson do that?' I think some people may be discounting the fact that he's really enjoyed his time being a Minnesota Viking."