Kyler Murray Poll

supafreak84 wrote:

Let's also not forget that when OConnell arrived, it took a seasoned pro like Kirk Cousins a full offseason in the system and playing in games for half the year before he was even comfortable operating in it. It's complex by all accounts with a lot of moving parts. McCarthy has had two years learning the system while Murray is coming in brand new and having to learn it from square one. McCarthy is going to be substantially ahead of Murray in that regard.

Without question, McCarthy is going to know the offense better than Murray does. But there are several things an experienced QB does that young QBs haven't yet mastered. Protections, hard-count reveals, safety manipulation, throwing guys open, pre-snap reads, and just a calmness or "quiet mind" as some call it. These are the advantages that Murray will have over McCarthy regardless of scheme.

Interesting thread and poll results. Hey, only 4 months and we'll start finding out. 😄 Getting behind QB1, prepare yourself for the press mania to follow that 'competition'.

Happy Mother's Day to all the great Moms out there.

Mike Olson wrote:

Hmmm, I think he COULD be the guy, but he has to show us. I think he had a bad deal with the cards, but he could really shine here. Could is doing a lot of work though. And he is very small. If he doesn't get solid protection he is going to get murdered.

Hes been small his whole life and is a pro QB, his size isn't as much of a concern for me as is his commitment to learning the play book and playing on script wjen its there, vs not knowing the script and reverting to running around until something comes open. The scrambling is fun to watch until it doesnt work and then you are left wanting a QB that can make plays on time and from the pocket. Mobility should be a tool, not an integral part of the game plan IMO

I'd say "Other" to the poll as to rather root against injury, more so to root for McCarthy to overcome adversity and unseat Murrary due to his performance and not because Murray's failures.

The parallels are still interesting, even if the path isn’t identical.

A Michigan QB battling through adversity, doubted by many, and potentially getting a second real shot to seize the job and never give it back...that’s the part that stands out. Obviously, nobody is saying McCarthy is going to become Tom Brady, and I’m definitely not rooting for injuries to anyone. I’ll support whoever is under center for the Vikings.

But Brady’s career changed when opportunity unexpectedly arose and he was ready for it. McCarthy already got a taste of being the starter before injuries completely derailed his rookie season. Maybe this year becomes his second chance to truly take control of the job and write his own story.

At the very least, the setup is hard to ignore.

supafreak84 wrote:

Let's also not forget that when OConnell arrived, it took a seasoned pro like Kirk Cousins a full offseason in the system and playing in games for half the year before he was even comfortable operating in it. It's complex by all accounts with a lot of moving parts. McCarthy has had two years learning the system while Murray is coming in brand new and having to learn it from square one. McCarthy is going to be substantially ahead of Murray in that regard.

Statistically Cousins had a great season his first year, I do not think his issue was a lack of command of the offense, but not stepping up in big pressure situations. Darnold definitely did not have an issue with it. I do not think someone who has been around as long as Murray will have any problem picking it up. I don't think the issue with JJM was getting comfortable in the offense, but being able to get the ball to his WRs, he was making good reads, it was not like he was not finding the open WR, he just couldn't pass with any kind of consistent accuracy or touch.

JR44 wrote:

Statistically Cousins had a great season his first year, I do not think his issue was a lack of command of the offense, but not stepping up in big pressure situations. Darnold definitely did not have an issue with it. I do not think someone who has been around as long as Murray will have any problem picking it up. I don't think the issue with JJM was getting comfortable in the offense, but being able to get the ball to his WRs, he was making good reads, it was not like he was not finding the open WR, he just couldn't pass with any kind of consistent accuracy or touch.

Cousins said he wasn't fully comfortable in KOC's offense until...I think he said week 8? But that doesn't mean he wasn't effective. Vikings were 7-1 at the time and Cousins was putting up remarkable, MVP-level numbers. Cousins liked getting to the point where he could just play and not think so much. Murray will go through that too. But I'm not sure we'll even notice.

I voted average... but considering last year our QBs combined to be dead last, 16th or so this season in QBR/passer rating/chicken bone readings would be a nice improvement. I don't see KOC adjusting 'his" offense enough to really fit Kyler or JJM and make it take off. We'll still be yelling at the TV watching incomplete passes on 3rd and 1.

FWIW, Murray's fantasy ADP right now is QB16. His ADP last year was QB9. He goes from a horrible surround in Arizona to one of the best in Minnesota and is ADP goes....down? This probably has a lot to do with the fact that this is still technically a competition, but needless to say, I wish my fantasy league drafted in May.

Murray is the starter going in and it’s not close. JJ has proven nothing in this league and Kyler has been top 10.

That said it’s a good bet Murray will get hurt and we get to see if JJ has progressed. We are overdue for some magic around here anyway.

MaroonBells wrote:

Pretty hard to make that argument considering they drafted their franchise QB in 2024. That he hasn't lived up to expectations doesn't mean they fucked around with the position. Definitely agree, though, that the so-called "wide-open" competition is meant to motivate Murray as much if not more than JJ.

Well I guess what I mean is that by some accounts JJM isn't who they wanted as QB in that draft and it sure seems like they took the guy because they thought they HAD to take the guy rather than doing what was best for the team. Now with hindsight this kid is costing (in my opinion) development time and resources. I think they knew last offseason that this kid isn't there yet. I don't know that he ever will be.

Mike Olson wrote:

I think they knew last offseason that this kid isn't there yet.

Oh I have a deep seated belief KOC knew the kid wasn't ready.

The ex-GM said TFB...We aint signing Darnold and let me handle Dimes.

purplefaithful wrote:

Oh I have a deep seated belief KOC knew the kid wasn't ready.
The ex-GM said TFB...We aint signing Darnold and let me handle Dimes.

Yep.

Mike Olson wrote:

Well I guess what I mean is that by some accounts JJM isn't who they wanted as QB in that draft and it sure seems like they took the guy because they thought they HAD to take the guy rather than doing what was best for the team. Now with hindsight this kid is costing (in my opinion) development time and resources. I think they knew last offseason that this kid isn't there yet. I don't know that he ever will be.

I don’t really understand what you mean here.  Obviously, everyone wants the best QBs more than the next tier of QBs … but the best QB prospects are going to go to a team that sucks so bad that they are in position to draft the best QBs.  If you’re a good team, you can’t just sit around waiting to luck into a top 3 pick and a good team is never going to be bad enough to be in that position.  You’re going to have to make your own luck and take a guy that is available to you and develop them.  Almost all players take development.  That’s what coaching is.  That’s the cost of doing business.  Of course he “wasn’t there yet” last year.  He hadn’t started a game.  There’s only so much you can learn with a clipboard in your hand.  Part of the development process has to happen when you are on the field, when defenses are actually playing defense, when players can actually hit you.  You have to try and take what you’ve learned and apply it, and sometimes it doesn’t work, but you keep working on it, and then eventually it sticks.  JJM hasn’t played enough games yet to really establish any confidence on him being good or bad yet.  Almost all QBs look like garbage for the amount of games he’s started.  Sure you can argue that he looked more like garbage, but that’s not the point.  The point is that there’s an amount of faith that you need to have that they will figure it out and you need to give them time to develop on the field.  If you don’t have the patience to develop players, you shouldn’t be drafting players, just go into the free agent market and get known good players.

medaille wrote:

If you don’t have the patience to develop players, you shouldn’t be drafting players, just go into the free agent market and get known good players.

"Now you're talkin' my language!" - Kevin O'Connell

This is Matthew Coller's take on the Jennings acquisition and the Vikings 2026 offensive prospects. Please note, I feel like this could be the best WR room since 3 deep and if you also feel that way, rest assured we are not among a "handful of whackos". Other than that I think it's a reasonable take on things.

Now that the dust has settled with the signing of Jauan Jennings, the Vikings’ offseason could be described as improvement without sacrifice.

The result is that they have everything in place to give Kyler Murray what he needs to prove that he should be the Vikings’ long-term quarterback.

It’s easy to see why playing with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison alone would be the best combination of Murray’s career. Jefferson won Offensive Player of the Year not long ago and Addison caught 133 passes for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first two seasons. In Murray’s best years with DeAndre Hopkins, the No. 2 receivers were (all due respect) very old in Larry Fitzgerald and AJ Green.

But where the Vikings needed to improve in order to give their new quarterback everything he needed was in their running game, depth at wide receiver after losing Jalen Nailor and depth along the offensive line. Last year injuries up front crushed the Vikings as they were routinely without Christian Darrisaw and Ryan Kelly and both Donovan Jackson and Brian O’Neill missed time as well. And they haven’t had a running game that struck fear into anyone since O’Connell arrived.

The Vikings addressed those issues. They hired Dolphins assistant Frank Smith and bumped up Keith Carter to offensive line coach. Miami was fifth in the NFL in yards per carry last year and Carter’s roots are in a similar outside zone system. In the draft, they picked the top fullback and a running back who ran a 4.37 40-yard dash.

They acquired offensive line depth by putting in an RFA offer for Ryan Van Demark, who played 312 snaps for Buffalo and ranked 27th of 95 full and part-time tackles in PFF grade. In the draft, the Vikings selected Caleb Tiernan, a highly experienced college tackle whose best trait was pass protection.

There is still a question at the center position when it comes to depth but they have improved by proxy of having Blake Brandel prepare at the position from Day 1.

This week, the Vikings added the final piece to a complete offense with former 49er Jauan Jennings, who has 132 receptions over the last two years and a reputation for contested catches and toughness.

If you were wondering, Murray’s WR3 in 2024 and 2025 was Greg Dortch, who is 5-foot-7 and averages 9.0 yards per reception for his career. (No disrespect, Greg!)

Combine this with the team electing to work out new contracts with Pro Bowl tight end TJ Hockenson and veteran running back Aaron Jones and you have a complete offense.

Not to mention a head coach whose record is 31-11 when starting either Kirk Cousins or Sam Darnold.

OK, so nobody is quite calling this The Greatest Show on Turf and the handful of wackos who posted on social media that Jefferson/Addison/Jennings is the next Three Deep are getting ahead of themselves but this is the best supporting cast and coaching staff that Murray has ever had.

By creating this environment, the Vikings have given themselves the ability to fully evaluate Murray while not tying themselves to contracts that could damage their cap situation in the future if they have to extend the former No. 1 overall pick.

Murray has always been a tricky evaluation because of his height, high-highs and low-lows, injuries and the poorly-run organization that drafted/extended him.

The Cardinals picked Murray No. 1 overall because of his ridiculous playmaking skill. Only a handful of players ever can match his quickness and improvisational talents. But the results in the NFL have been all over the place.

In 2021, Murray was graded by PFF as the third best passer in the league behind only Tom Brady and Joe Burrow. He registered a ridiculous 41 Big-Time Throws during that season. The following season, Murray was 30th of 41 QBs in passing grade and 34th in Big-Time Throw percentage.

Murray’s most recent performance in 2024 was strong, ranking 12th by PFF and leading a rebuilding team to eight wins. But last year he was a mid-pack QB through five games and then got hurt and his sputtering franchise elected to leave him on the bench. Credit to them, they did get Jeremiyah Love out of that decision.

How are the Vikings supposed to know who Murray really is as a quarterback when his franchise was always in flux and injuries have cost him big chunks of three seasons?

Anything can happen but at least on paper there shouldn’t be reasons/explanations for why Murray can’t maximize his talents. The team has set themselves up to be able to assess whether he’s worth an extension, how much it should cost and have a good sense for what it would take around him to build a legitimate contender.

The Vikings also left the door open to be able to manage their roster and salary cap if Murray does play well enough to earn a contract extension.

They restructured the Hockenson and Jones deals to come off the books with limited damage, kept Jennings’ contract to one year and traded Jonathan Greenard to create $22 million in cap space in 2027.

OverTheCap.com lists the Vikings as having the 14th most cap space in the NFL in 2027 but that’s before using any other levers they want to pull. They can restructure Jefferson’s contract to save $18 million, cut Will Fries to save $12 million, restructure Byron Murphy Jr. to create another $12 million.

So if the Vikings want to sign Murray to a contract that’s similar to the other recently QBs with similar situations i.e. Baker Mayfield, Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold, it will not immediately restrict their ability to build on the fly and remain in a winning window with Murray in his prime.

If the best-case scenario with Murray doesn’t come to fruition and the Vikings are in a position to look elsewhere at quarterback, they will be able to either hand the next drafted quarterback the best situation or compete for other QBs in free agency. It has become somewhat of a trend in the NFL that starting-caliber quarterbacks come available each year. It’s hard to say right now who that might be but the Vikings would be in position to pay them if they needed to do that.

What about JJ McCarthy? Well, a lot of the same ideas apply. If McCarthy ends up playing due to a Murray injury or ineffectiveness, he should be setup better than last year to prove that he can step up to the challenge. And if a scenario came about where the team was convinced that McCarthy is QB1, then they would be able to take full advantage of the rookie QB contract in 2027 and 2028.

All of this draws back to the job that Rob Brzezinski did as the leader of the front office this offseason. It was not an easy position to take over with urgency to win with a roster that has a lot of quality veteran players but a cap situation that needed to be resolved for the future.

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/vikingzfanpage/status/2054000487473557897

He looks like a middle school kid... with facial hair.

Give me McCarthy. The Murray experiment is just OConnell trying to win enough games this year to keep his job because in no way, shape, or form is Murray a fit in the current OConnell offense that relies on hanging in the pocket, timing, and delivering the football on target in these long developing routes. What part of Murray's game would lead anybody to believe this is a great fit or that OConnell would substantially alter his offense to better suit Murray's skill set? Didn't do it last year for McCarthy, Brosmer, or when Wentz was getting pounded into the ground behind a sieve offensive line. McCarthy is starting by Halloween. Mark it down

Lots in the media seem to be throwing out Kyler's recent stats and lack of success because of weak surroundings and bad injury luck. Yet McCarthy dealt with these same issues but no one is giving him a pass. Sad!

I hope it's an open competition because that gives me a glimmer of hope for McCarthy, but as a pragmatist I'll believe it's a true May The Best Man Win situation once we actually see it. It's just so rare for that to be the case in the NFL.

I voted the middle answer with one large caveat: I don't think Kyler will get hurt. I think he'll be solid and the Vikings will win some early season games on the back of ST and DEF. We'll be in the hunt which is all you can ask for. From there, who knows.

I hope McCarthy forces his way onto the field for the Vikings again. If we've seen the last of him as our QB that will be one of the most anticlimactic QBOTF picks in the history of the league and it'll probably be another 60 years before we take a top 10 QB again 😂😭