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Ex-NFL QB Has Harsh Take on Kyler Murray's Future Outlook With Vikings

Ryan Fitzpatrick thinks Murray could have some success in Minnesota...but only for a bit.

Former NFL journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick recently gave a rather fascinating take on Kyler Murray's outlook with the Vikings. Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Fitzpatrick said he thinks Murray will have success in Minnesota in 2026, but that it's not going to last after that.

At first, the 17-year veteran QB seemed to be praising Murray and expressing major excitement about what he's going to do with this new opportunity after seven seasons with the Cardinals.

"I'm actually fascinated by the Kyler Murray thing," Fitzpatrick said. "Living in Arizona, I saw it with the Cardinals and the frustration with the fans, just kind of stuck in neutral in Arizona. I don't think that one's a quarterback competition, Kyler Murray should be the quarterback from day one there. But I think sometimes going to a new spot, which I did plenty, and having to then re-establish yourself — you don't have all those built-up scars and memories in the locker room and with the team.

"He gets to reinvent who he is when he goes to Minnesota. And I think going in there, having to establish himself as a leader — which is something that he struggled towards the tail end of his career in Arizona to do — and just for everything to be fresh. For him to attack the playbook, be able to take new coaching from a different coach in a different way. I'm really excited to see Kyler Murray in Minnesota."

Then Fitzpatrick finished his thoughts with a very interesting prediction.

"I do think it'll be a one-year great experiment, it's gonna work great, and then potentially tails off after that," he said, "but I'm excited to see how it goes this season."

That last part caught host Rich Eisen off guard a little bit, so he asked Fitzpatrick to follow up on what he meant.

"I think his best year with Minnesota will be his first year," Fitzpatrick said. "And if they keep him after that, then it's going to trail off. Because some of the issues that came up in Arizona are gonna be the same issues that are gonna follow him. He's supremely talented. Everybody knows that. The first year in the offense, everything's gonna be fresh and new and fun and they're gonna out there and they're gonna play really well.

"And then that next year, as things get stale, as you really have to focus and hone in on somebody's leadership skills and those things, I think that's when you'll see it trail off. But again, this year, I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's gonna be a great show."

Eisen followed up again: What makes Fitzpatrick say that? Is it a maturity thing?

"I don't know that it's a maturity issue," he said. "I just think, with Kyler, what are his strengths? All the things that you can measure, those are the things that he's always been unbelievable at. I think it's just been some of the intangibles is where he has struggled, fitting into a locker room and those different things and being able to elevate a team to the next level.

"So I just think, year one, those things are gonna take care of themselves. It's easy in year one because everything is new. As you go on in the same spot for multiple years, those become much more important. And so that's I guess what I'm saying as to why I think it's gonna be a one-year experiment that'll be great and tail off from there."

That's a pretty blunt and harsh assessment from Fitzpatrick. He seems to be saying that he has no faith in Murray's leadership or intangibles or ability to focus at the required level for more than one season. He expects big things from a motivated Murray in a new opportunity in 2026, but doesn't believe he'll be able to sustain success into the future once the freshness of the situation wears off.

In theory, you'd think a quarterback might get better with more experience in a specific offensive system, especially a complicated one like Kevin O'Connell's. Fitzpatrick appears to think Murray doesn't have the motivation or leadership skills to thrive over multiple years, even though his best season in Arizona was his third season.

Assuming Murray does win the Vikings' QB job this year, if he plays well, Minnesota will almost certainly do whatever it can to keep him around on a multi-year deal. They can't afford to let the Sam Darnold situation play out again.

If that happens, we'll find out if Fitzpatrick was right or not in 2027 and beyond.