Feb. 23, 2026, 4:28 p.m. CT
The Minnesota Vikings are facing a pivotal point in their franchise history. They have pivotal decisions to make across the board, none bigger than what they do at quarterback. It is well past being established that J.J. McCarthy struggled, and they are now second-guessing letting Sam Darnold walk after his Super Bowl win.
As a result of this second-guessing, could the team target a high-profile backup for him? Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton has one suggestion that could have the stars align for him to pull it off. He suggests the team target former Heisman Trophy Winner and first-overall pick, Kyler Murray.
Moton writes, “Recently, O’Connell talked about bringing in veteran competition for McCarthy, but following Adofo-Mensah’s dismissal, he can take that objective one step further and replace the 23-year-old signal-caller with a proven player. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Cardinals “are likely” to move on from Kyler Murray. If the Vikings clear enough cap space, they could skip the free-agent courting process and offer a third-round pick for him. Murray could rediscover his Pro Bowl form, teaming up with two-time All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson and help bring the Vikings back to playoff contention.”
Murray would be a fun project for the Vikings, and his dual-threat ability would make for some exciting plays and opportunities. With the NFL Scouting Combine kicking off this week, we should start seeing more rumors for who the team could add, and they would have more concrete beliefs backing them. So if Murray becomes a name that emerges after this week, there could be fire to the smoke.
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