What New Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kyler Murray Had To Say After Joining Team

It's official, the Minnesota Vikings have a new quarterback.

After the 2025 season came to a close, two things occurred. The team's general manager was fired, and it became abundantly clear Minnesota needed to find a veteran quarterback to compete for the starting job with J.J. McCarthy.

A number of names had been tossed around, including Geno Smith (who was traded to the Jets), Kirk Cousins (who I had written about as a potential solution when the Falcons announced they would release him), and Kyler Murray.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, Kyler is the guy.

A little background on Kyler, the new QB in Minnesota

After the Cardinals released him, he had a handful of teams he planned to visit, and Minnesota was reportedly at the top of that list. After visiting the team Wednesday, it didn't take too long for the team to announced that the Vikings and Kyler had agreed to a veteran league-minimum one-year contract on Thursday.

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Murray was the number one overall pick for the Cardinals in 2019, completing 67% of his 2,941 passing attempts for 20,460 yards. While he has endured some limited seasons due to injuries, he has 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions to this point in his career.

The 29-year-old Heisman winner (from 2018) has a pair of Pro Bowl appearances in his NFL career and was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 2019.

What Kyler had to say after officially joining the Minnesota Vikings

Kyler discussed joining the Vikings at a press event after the announcement of his signing, where he expressed gratitude to the Wilfs for the opportunity to join a team he has apparently long been a fan of.

During that press conference, Murray revealed "he can't wait to touch that field and be a Minnesota Vikings", sharing that he has shed tears as a fan of the team.

He explained he has been a fan of the Vikings since he was 7 years old, when he first started playing tackle football. He called it a "genuine fandom", saying he has "a lot of purple in his household".

After initially saying he didn't want to address it in the moment, he immediately gave up on his hesitation, saying "I cried real tears when Brett threw that interception, I cried real tears that day".

I think most Vikings fans may have shed a tear over that incident.

He was, of course, referring to the 2009 NFC Championship game against the Saints where Brett Favre threw a late interception that ended the VIkings' pursuit of a Super Bowl appearance.

Besides that story, Murray said he is excited to work with head coach Kevin O'Connell, who he called one of the most brilliant offensive minds in the league, who he has maintained a friendship with over his years in the NFL.

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While Kyler hasn't had the chance to visit with his primary target Justin Jefferson aside from Pro Bowl appearances, he told the media he is excited to work with a talent of his caliber.

When asked about how he views the contract being a one-year deal, he said he sees every year, regardless of the contract situation as a "prove it year", saying "it doesn't matter to me" and that he plans to give the team his all.

You can watch the entire press conference here.