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Rich Gannon: Kyler Murray needs to be ‘all-in’ with Vikings
Sunday night on FOX 9 Sports Now, former NFL quarterback and now analyst Rich Gannon joined Jim Rich to talk about what signing Kyler Murray means for the Vikings' quarterback room, and the franchise going forward.
EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings made a splash in free agency last week, signing quarterback Kyler Murray to a one-year contract after his release from the Arizona Cardinals.
So what’s the Vikings’ plan at quarterback for the 2026 season? Is Murray the starter, or will it be an open competition with J.J. McCarthy? Sunday night on FOX 9 Sports Now, Jim Rich broached that very topic with Rich Gannon, a former NFL quarterback who is now an analyst for Sirius XM Radio.
Is Kyler Murray all-in?
What we know:
Murray is entering his eighth NFL season, and playing on a one-year contract, it’s an opportunity to do what Sam Darnold did two years ago with the Vikings. Murray’s talent isn’t questioned, but sometimes his effort and dedication are.
Murray got national scrutiny when it was revealed in his second contract there was a clause requiring him to be in the Cardinals’ facility a certain amount of hours, watching film and reading the playbook. The clause was eventually removed, but the concern remains.
"If your quarterback isn’t the smartest and hardest-working guy in the building, you’ve got a problem. If I were advising Kyler Murray, I’d tell him move to the Twin Cities immediately, spend as much time in the facility as you can. You’ve got to earn the right to be the leader of this football team, win the starting job. That’s going to be job. No. 1 for Kyler Murray," Gannon said. "My car would be the first in the parking lot, and the last to leave every night. That shows commitment. That’s what we have to find out about Kyler Murray, is this guy all-in?"
What about J.J. McCarthy?
Why you should care:
The question immediately after the Vikings signed Murray was about the future of J.J. McCarthy. He’s entering his third NFL season, but missed his entire rookie year with a torn meniscus. McCarthy went 6-4 as a starter last season, but missed seven games with an ankle injury, a concussion and a fracture in his throwing hand.
Too many times, he started slow with the Vikings’ offense before they eventually rallied. But Gannon doesn’t think the Murray signing means the Vikings are done with McCarthy, far from it.
It also couldn’t be a surprise to McCarthy that the Vikings signed a veteran in the offseason. Not having a back-up plan behind him, and Darnold winning a Super Bowl in Seattle, was likely a big reason Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired after the season.
"Very few quarterbacks step into our game and have immediate success, there’s not a lot of Dan Marino’s out there. Even Peyton Manning, his first year they went 3-13, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. It’s a learning curve," Gannon said. "He wasn’t asleep at the wheel, he had to know after what happened last season the Vikings were going to create competition in the quarterback room. I don’t think for a second the Vikings have given up on J.J. McCarthy."