Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Kyler Murray

Thursday, March 12, 2:37 PM

The Minnesota Vikings have signed free agent quarterback Kyler Murray to a one-year deal, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. The deal includes a clause that says Murray cannot be assigned a franchise tag or transition tag next offseason. He'll be paid $36.8 million in 2026, but the bulk of that will come from the Arizona Cardinals' payroll. Minnesota will only be on the hook for the league minimum amount. Murray, a former No. 1 overall pick, is coming off a disappointing seventh and final season in Arizona. Injuries limited him to just five starts last year, and he only produced 962 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also had 173 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. It was a weird end to Murray's tenure with the Cardinals, as he was technically on IR with a season-ending injury but may have simply been benched for Jacoby Brissett. Regardless of the actual reason, the bottom line is that the Cardinals and Murray went their separate ways this offseason, leading the quarterback to sign with Minnesota. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has repeatedly been praised for his ability to identify successful quarterback reclamation projects, but it's far from guaranteed that Murray will be able to bounce back. In fact, he's not even a lock to earn playing time. Incumbent starter and former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy will presumably compete with Murray in a wide-open position battle during training camp.