Andrew Buller-Russ
The Minnesota Vikings had a busy offseason, moving on from one general manager and working to hire another. They’ve also shed several large salaries, but the Vikings believe they’ve found low-cost replacements for all of them.
While Jauan Jennings was more on the spendy side of things, even his $8 million base salary comes at a bargain rate considering he recorded 975 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. Still just 28, Jennings is expected to take over for last year’s WR3 Jalen Nailor. While Jennings isn’t nearly as quick as “Speedy” was, he’ll be a much better run blocker, and he’s more accomplished as a receiver, so far.
Yet, even more than signing Jennings, according to ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings “believe they got a steal” by adding Kyler Murray at a bargain rate of just $1.3 million. While he hasn’t been able to play in an actual game for Minnesota yet, the coaching staff has been “thrilled” with Murray so far.
“He carries himself as an alpha; not in a cocky way, just he’s got the experience he believes he can win that job over J.J. McCarthy, be the guy. Also, offensive coaches have been thrilled with how he’s attacked things, how he’s been in meetings. So, they believe they’ve got a real steal here. There’s a blueprint for Kyler Murray, based on what Daniel Jones did a year ago, go play somewhere new, get a one-year deal, knock it out the park and get the big money as an established starter after that.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Kyler Murray
The Vikings have continued to paint a picture where it will be Murray competing with J.J. McCarthy for the starting QB job in 2026. Yet, externally, most expect that the job is Murray’s to lose, meaning McCarthy would have to come back drastically improved upon his rookie year.
Even then, Murray has been far more proven in live games, which will continue giving him the edge until McCarthy can prove otherwise. That may not ever happen. If it does, Minnesota would have a good problem on its hands with two capable starters rather than none at all.
Related: 2026 NFL QB Rankings: From NFL’s Worst Starting QB to the Best
