Kyler Murray was released by the Arizona Cardinals at the start of the offseason. Now the former No. 1 draft pick has found a new franchise.

Kyler Murray will be a new player for the Minnesota Vikings. The franchise has now officially confirmed this. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the 28-year-old has signed a one-year contract.

Murray was released by the Arizona Cardinals at the start of the offseason. The former Pro Bowler had already lost his starting spot to Jacoby Brissett during the season.

K1. 

The Vikings have signed QB Kyler Murray.& nbsp;https://t.co/R9go5DkFY5 pic.twitter.com/dOEjUz7nlM

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 12, 2026

The Cardinals drafted Murray first overall in 2019. Since then, however, he has never been able to consistently impress in Arizona. Murray played 87 games in Arizona over seven years, throwing for 20,460 yards and 121 touchdowns, but also throwing 60 interceptions. Last season, he played only five games due to a foot injury.

Minnesota Vikings: Murray in duel with McCarthy

This is not good news for current Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He was selected tenth overall in 2024 but missed his rookie season after suffering a serious knee injury.

In 2025, he was the starter, but failed to impress and was repeatedly sidelined by injury. McCarthy will battle Murray for the starting spot in 2026.

For the Vikings, this is a potentially very good solution with little risk: the Cardinals are still paying Murray $36 million in guaranteed money for 2026. Given Murray’s minimum contract of $1.3 million, the Vikings are not taking a big risk, but ideally will get a duo that pushes each other to peak performance. McCarthy in particular could benefit from Murray. It should also be clear that the 2019 No. 1 pick will be extremely motivated to prove himself to his critics and his former team. Not to mention that the Vikings already turned Sam Darnold back into a top playmaker last season. Head coach Kevin O’Connell clearly has a knack for tapping into the potential of quarterbacks who have been sidelined and getting them back on track.