Vikings emerge as 'overwhelming favorite' to land Kyler Murray after Cardinals release: report

Kyler Murray’s clip with the Arizona Cardinals is officially implicit aft the squad released him astatine the commencement of the caller league twelvemonth Wednesday. 

Murray is present a escaped cause who tin talk with immoderate squad who whitethorn privation his services successful 2026 and beyond. But it looks similar 1 squad is going to beryllium heavy pursuing the erstwhile No. 1 wide pick. 

The Minnesota Vikings, contempt having 2024 first-round prime J.J. McCarthy entering his 3rd play with the club, are the "overwhelming favorite" to motion Murray, according to ESPN.

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Arizona Cardinals backmost Kyler Murray throws a walk during the archetypal fractional against the Tennessee Titans successful Glendale, Ariz., Oct. 5, 2025. (Rick Scuteri/AP)

McCarthy, who didn’t play his rookie twelvemonth owed to a season-ending wounded successful the preseason, got his archetypal sensation of regular-season NFL shot successful 2025. But McCarthy struggled contempt a 6-4 grounds successful 10 games. Injuries outgo him clip yet again. 

With McCarthy’s presumption uncertain successful Minnesota, it appears caput manager Kevin O’Connell and the remainder of the enactment are looking for a seasoned who could perchance measurement successful portion McCarthy develops. 

Murray could beryllium that signal-caller aft a roller-coaster seven-year tenure with Arizona, going 38-48-1 successful 87 games. He apologized to Cardinals fans past week, confirming the team’s intentions to merchandise him contempt inactive owing him $36.8 cardinal successful guaranteed wealth from his five-year, $230.5 cardinal hold helium signed successful 2022. 

ATHLETICS GM ‘ALWAYS OPEN’ TO KYLER MURRAY REUNION AHEAD OF EXPECTED CARDINALS RELEASE

"To everyone that supported maine and showed kindness to my household and I during my clip successful AZ, from the bottommost of my heart, convey you," Murray wrote connected X. "I wanted thing much than to beryllium the 1 to extremity the 77-year drought for this organization, I americium atrocious I failed us. I privation this assemblage and my brothers thing but the best. 

"I americium nary alien to adversity, I americium prepared for whatever’s next. I spot successful God and my enactment ethic. I genuinely judge my champion shot is successful beforehand of maine and I look guardant to proving it. Godspeed."

Murray, 28, has had an up-and-down NFL vocation frankincense far, and injuries and inconsistent play person been a storyline helium couldn’t shingle contempt games erstwhile helium proved wherefore the squad loved him arsenic the archetypal wide pick. 

Minnesota Vikings backmost J.J. McCarthy runs into the extremity portion for a touchdown during the archetypal fractional against the Dallas Cowboys Dec. 14, 2025, successful Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Last season, Murray went 2-3 successful his 5 games, throwing for six touchdowns and 3 interceptions earlier a ft wounded knocked him retired the remainder of the way. Jacoby Brissett, who figures to instrumentality implicit arsenic the team’s starter successful the 2nd twelvemonth of the two-year woody helium signed past offseason with the franchise, took implicit for Murray and thrived contempt what the grounds said. He threw for a career-high 3,366 yards with 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. 

The Cardinals, though, finished 3-14, and the franchise went successful a antithetic absorption and fired caput manager Jonathan Gannon. Mike LaFleur, who served arsenic the Los Angeles Rams’ violative coordinator, is his replacement heading into 2026. 

Early successful his Cardinals tenure, Murray was a subordinate to physique astir aft making back-to-back Pro Bowls successful 2020 and 2021, the second of which helium threw for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 423 yards with 5 scores connected the ground. He besides rushed for 819 yards with 11 rushing scores successful 2020, a portion of his crippled that made him truthful electric.

Injuries, though, person hampered Murray’s career, including a torn ACL successful Week 14 of the 2022 play that resulted successful him missing 9 games successful 2023. Then, aft a afloat 17-game play successful 2024, helium injured a foot.

Arizona Cardinals backmost Kyler Murray warms up earlier a crippled against the Dallas Cowboys astatine AT&T Stadium. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

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With quarterback-needy teams similar the Miami Dolphins (Malik Willis) and New York Jets (Geno Smith) already filling their extent illustration earlier this week, the Vikings look to beryllium the champion enactment if Murray is looking for a caller commencement with a accidental to marque the playoffs. 

It’s besides worthy noting the Pittsburgh Steelers inactive don’t person a starting backmost for adjacent play arsenic they seemingly await connection connected what Aaron Rodgers wants to bash successful 2026.

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