Here are the top 10 available free agents, according to NFL Network.
Nine players who ended the season on the Vikings roster are still looking for homes as of 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Play-action: Not all play-action is the same. A seven-step drop from under center is different from an under-center rollout or that from shotgun or pistol distances. They require different footwork and lend to differing preferences among QBs. That said, Kyler Murray’s preference is clearly not under center. He’s been an effective play-action passer from the shotgun and pistol formations, which account for 3,080 of his 3,342 dropbacks in the NFL – or 92.2%, per Sports Info Solutions.
This would require a shift from O’Connell. Kirk Cousins led the NFL in under-center dropbacks in 2022, and Sam Darnold ranked second in 2024.
In the pocket: Murray has been about league average – a 6.22% sack rate that ranks 25th of 62 quarterbacks since he entered the league.
Deep passing: During the 2021 season, Murray had the league’s best completion rate (49.3%) and second-most yardage (1,125) on passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield, per PFF. That came with Christian Kirk, A.J. Green and Hopkins at receiver. Murray fell off in 2022 without Kirk or Green to complement Hopkins downfield.
Throwing to the middle: Murray can connect all over the field, but the middle is particularly important for O’Connell’s playbook, setting up receivers to catch and run. In his last full season, 2024, Murray threw well in the 10- to 19-yard range between the numbers: completing 30 of 41 throws (73.2%) for 453 yards, three scores and a pick, per PFF.
Though most of Thursday evening’s videoconference centered on Kyler Murray’s signing, both head coach Kevin O’Connell and acting general manager Rob Brzezinski talked generally about the opening week of free agency.
The Vikings have brought only two new players into the fold thus far for 2026: Murray, and former Steelers cornerback James Pierre.
“James Pierre is a guy that both personnel and our coaching staff identified as a guy that could really help our team,” O’Connell said. “Obviously [defensive back coach Gerald Alexander] having the relationship that he did having coached him, we feel really good about the player that we’re bringing in.”
O’Connell added that his staff believes that for both Pierre and Murray “their best football could still be in front of them.”
Brzezinski called it a “productive” start to the offseason that included “tough” decisions, but said the team is “just barely out of the gate.”
“We had a plan that we devised together, and I’m just really proud of the way everybody worked together identifying some targets that we were able to reach agreements with and there’s others we weren’t,” Brzezinski said. “But I think I’m really most proud of the patience. We talked about stacking good decisions. We don’t play football until September, and our goal was to make good decisions and not feel like we needed to do anything desperate.”
Asked Thursday how he wanted J.J. McCarthy to react to the Vikings signing Kyler Murray, head coach Kevin O'Connell said:
"Really exactly how he did when we talked about it. J.J.'s ready to have the best possible offseason that he can. Unlike going into 2025, he now has 10 games of experience in the NFL. He's experienced the ebbs and flows of an NFL season that you've got to learn from, you've got to continue to attack in the most consistent way possible, getting totally locked into that routine of not only the game plan week, the time we have together, but the work you do on your own. How you're taking care of your body, how you're taking care of every aspect of who and what you are as a quarterback because it means so much, it's such a difficult position to play both physically and mentally, so I think having that experience now ... he's just excited. He knew we were going to be adding somebody to the room. He knew that didn't change anything about his mindset and focus on improving and attacking this offseason the right way. I'm really proud of him for that and excited to get back on the grass and in the meeting room with him when that time comes."
Where does the Vikings' acquisition of quarterback Kyler Murray leave J.J. McCarthy, the 23-year-old former college national champion and 10th overall pick entering his third Vikings season?
Coach Kevin O'Connell was asked Thursday evening via videoconference about how he would characterize the starting quarterback job with Murray joining McCarthy in the quarterback room.
Q: How would characterize the outlook with Murray and McCarthy?
O'Connell: "First of all, you know, it's March. ... What I can tell you is the goal of adding a talented player like Kyler to the room was about creating an environment for all of our quarterbacks, J.J. and Max [Brosmer], with Kyler added to that room as well where all of those guys individually no matter where they're at in their quarterback journey, we create a world where guys are pushing each other. Guys are, by their own growth or development or their own ascension, are not only doing that themselves, but they're creating a new standard and elevating that floor so that will benefit not only those players individually, it will benefit the collective group of guys in that room that Josh [McCown] is running. Ultimately, the position is so, so vital to offensive success in the National Football League, it will elevate our offense and our team. What that looks like -- reps and all those things -- I know I'm really excited to dive into all of that.
"I can tell you, J.J., I talked to him this week. We had a great conversation as we have most of the offseason about the good work that he's done. He's focused on what's out in front of him personally and he's attacking that every single day. He's doing great as well as Max is and I know that through the offseason program ... we're really trying to hone in on the details ... so as we approach training camp, we have a clear vision of how we want to best maximize those reps, and maybe we'll have some clarity at that point. And at that point we're still going to want to make sure all of those guys are in a situation where they can keep ascending."
Q: To be clear, you view it as a competition and don't know the starter?
O'Connell: "Unless I'm confused in any way shape or form, we don't have to name one of those currently. Look, like I said, it was a great visit with Kyler. Great discussions about where he's at as a player, the types of things I'm really excited about tapping into and helping him continue to grow. He's got a lot of experience. He's a very talented player and we've got a clear vision for what that looks like and ultimately what we have to do is what's best for our football team."
Kyler Murray and the Vikings might not work. It matters whether it does or doesn’t, sure, but whether it does or not doesn’t change what I think right now.
Murray signing a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the Vikings is one of the biggest bargains in NFL free agency history.
Quarterbacks of Murray’s pedigree — former No. 1 overall pick, multiple Pro Bowls, makes plays off-script, is still just 28 and was statistically one of the 10 best QBs in the league as recently as 2024 — almost never come on the free agency market, let alone for the veteran minimum.
This is a unique set of circumstances that brought Murray to Minnesota. It's a massive gift to a QB-needy, cap-strapped team.
This doesn’t have to work for it to be a great move. What if Murray can’t fully remake himself? What if Murray, who has had two significant injuries since 2022, gets hurt? Then you turn things back over to J.J. McCarthy or another veteran and regroup for 2027. Your hands are clean of the entire Murray experience.
Brett Favre weighed in on Kyler Murray’s comment from Thursday evening that he cried “real tears” over a Favre interception, likely referring to the NFC Championship game against the Saints during the 2009 season.
While with the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Kyler Murray suffered serious injuries that sidelined him for extended absences, made only one playoff appearance (a loss in which he played poorly), and had his leadership and commitment called into question. Most notably, it became public in 2022 that the Cardinals inserted an “independent study” clause into his contract requiring him to study film on his own and not be distracted by video games.
It was an embarrassing revelation. A negative narrative became attached to Murray, fair or not. He gets a fresh start with the Vikings, a chance to script a new narrative and prove that he is a quality NFL starter. Read more.
Is Kyler Murray a closer? His last three games with Arizona ended in one-score losses, but Murray deserves credit for throwing two fourth-quarter touchdowns vs. Seattle in Week 4 to knot the score at 20-20 before the Cardinals’ special teams and defense gave up a game-losing field goal. Murray could not put away fourth-quarter leads in losses to the 49ers or Titans last year.
Murray’s teams are still 2-1-1 in four overtime appearances. He has also been credited with 13 game-winning drives, per Pro Football Reference. Only the Chargers’ Justin Herbert (19) and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts (13) have as many among passers who joined the league in 2019 or later.
He's played in only one playoff game, losing 34-11 to the Rams during the 2021 season.