The world mocked the Minnesota Vikings seven months ago when the Seattle Seahawks, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, advanced to and won the Super Bowl. Darnold quarterbacked the Vikings in 2024, and with J.J. McCarthy raring to go for 2025, Minnesota let him leave in free agency. To an extent, the franchise still looks foolish for its decision-making.
While that won’t stop any time soon, the Vikings’ new passer, Kyler Murray, has a chance to wash away the stink from the Darnold gaffe.
It Can All Feel Less Bad — if Murray Does the Thing
A $1.3M Gift from Arizona
Murray fell into the Vikings’ lap like the universe having sympathy after Darnold won a championship. Arizona basically gift-wrapped Murray for Minnesota. That sounds dramatic, but it is not.
The Cardinals moved on from a former No. 1 overall pick, and the Vikings responded by handing him a one-year deal worth $1.3 million. That’s backup quarterback money for a dude with two Pro Bowls to his name. The Cardinals are paying Murray $36.8 million to play for the Vikings.
Murray’s head coach Kevin O’Connell now gets to poke around and see what is still in there. If Murray cooks, Minnesota can talk extension. If the whole thing fizzles, nobody needs to hold a candlelight vigil over $1.3 million. For that price, Minnesota had little reason to say no. The value is simply undeniable.
Vikings Still Mocked for Darnold Decision
Darnold is the one who got away – – even if his last two games in Minnesota were nothing short of pitiful.
Minnesota let him walk after a wonderful 2024 season – – 16 good games, two terrible – – deciding the long-term plan pointed toward McCarthy. Then Darnold went to Seattle and kept winning while the Vikings spent another year arguing about quarterbacks. Naturally, everybody noticed.
The jokes continued when Darnold won a Super Bowl, and the criticism was relentless.
That will not stop until the Vikings find their own answer at Darnold’s position. If Murray becomes that guy, the pain of Darnold’s exit will dwindle. His Super Bowl cannot be erased, but Murray winning one in Minnesota would make the Darnold regret moot – – and get Murray’s statue erected outside U.S. Bank Stadium.
It’s Murray’s Turn to Try Vikings on for Size
Murray will get his turn inside the O’Connell quarterback laboratory.
Darnold walked into Minnesota needing a career reset and left with a monster season on his resume. Murray arrives with a better historical profile than Darnold, which makes the experiment higher stakes. The job is Murray’s, and that’s Step 1.
Next comes staying healthy and proving the old Arizona electricity still exists. He does not need to impersonate 2024 Darnold. He needs to show that Minnesota can again be the place where a misunderstood veteran quarterback gets comfortable and starts thriving on Sundays.
If that happens, O’Connell’s reputation gets another shiny little boost.
Vikings running back Aaron Jones said of Murray last month, “He may not be the rah-rah guy and the guy everybody looks to for that energy explosion like some of our other captains or leaders that we’ve had here, but I think it’s going to be his presence and professional approach and hopefully his improvement and comfort so the truest, best version of him can come out in our offense, which is what we’ve tried to do in the past with other quarterbacks as well.”
Darnold Decision Will Hurt Less if Murray Is the New Franchise QB
The Darnold decision is here to stay in Vikings lore. Nobody gets to hit delete. The regret, however, depends on Murray or whoever comes after him at QB1.
If Murray plays terrific football in 2026 and sticks around beyond the season, Minnesota suddenly has something far more useful than an argument about Seattle’s quarterback. It has its own franchise guy. It would change the temperature of the Darnold discussion. The McCarthy detour would still deserve examination, and letting Darnold leave could still look awkward.
In short, nobody would care nearly as much. Winning quarterbacks have a funny habit of making old quarterback controversies feel ancient.
O’Connell said early in the 2025 offseason that Darnold had “earned the right to be a free agent.” Perhaps Murray won’t earn that right – – and just stick around Minnesota indefinitely.
───────────── ─────────────
VikesNow Verdict:
───────────── ─────────────
About The Author
