Not much to talk about unless we beat the different QB debate horse into oblivion. I am sure we will. The team is taking it’s sweet time and nobody knows what is going to happen, if anything, next. I am hoping for a contract extension for O’Neill, a contract extension or trade for Greenard, and maybe a couple of additional free agent signings. It could be that they are simply going to only sign players who will take 2M or less in order to at least get one compensatory pick for Nailor. It is al so possible that they wait until after the draft when the compensatory picks will not be affected and once they see what they can get in the draft.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Kyler Murray Reflects on Vikings Fandom & New Opportunity in Minnesota
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Kyler Murray posted two photos and a one-word caption to his Instagram profile.
Skol.
A simple statement but one that speaks volumes for the QB who first donned a jersey with the name “Vikings” across the front two decades ago.
Murray joined a virtual call with Twin Cities media members shortly after inking his deal with Minnesota — and taking to Instagram — to answer questions about joining the team he grew up rooting for.
“I was 7 years old,” Murray said. “Genuine, genuine fandom that ran deep. Vikings gear, through and through, a lot of Purple in my household.”
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“Never in a million years,” he emphasized. “Never in a million years did I think this was going to come around full circle. Never even a thought in my head. But the opportunity presented itself.”
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Murray reflected on a whirlwind day at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, where he “met a lot of genuine, real people” who showed him “nothing but great respect and love.”
“I’m very appreciative of how today went, and I cannot wait to get [in the locker room], compete and just represent the Vikings,” he said.
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Murray will reunite with former Cardinals teammate Byron Murphy, Jr., a draft classmate who played with Murray in Arizona from 2019-22 before signing with Minnesota as a free agent in 2023.
“Murph’ hit me up earlier; it’s been a great day,” Murray said of the cornerback who commented on the Instagram post, “Let’s get it Brudda 🤟🏽”
Vikings Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski noted Murray’s enthusiasm throughout the afternoon.
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“He couldn’t have been more excited to be here, and that was so awesome to see,” Brzezinski said. “It’s exciting. I mean, we’re all fans, too. We’re excited to see this team continue to be built and get it ready for the fall.”
Part of Murray’s energy revolves around playing for Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell.
“Watching from afar what K.O. has been able to do with quarterbacks, offense, the guys in place here, B-Flo’s (Brian Flores) defense,” Murray said. “I think it’s a great fit, and like I said, I’m thankful. I’m thankful for the opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
His relationship with the Vikings coach dates to Murray’s sensational prep career at Allen High School in Texas where he compiled a perfect 43-0 record and participated in the lofty Elite 11 quarterback camp.
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“Me and K.O. go back to the Elite 11 days,” Murray shared, before recalling an anecdote in the leadup to his selection by the Cardinals. “I remember during the combine, I did … had an interview with [Washington] and he was with them, and he pulled me aside after my meeting with them, and ever since then, our relationship, he’s always made sure to check in on me, whether it was after a game, things like that, so I always respected that, always appreciated his opinion of me and the support that he’s given me. (And) so, now, getting to play for him and have that relationship with him means the world [to me].
“Obviously, he’s had a lot of success with quarterbacks, different quarterbacks, and he’s one of the best offensive minds in the game,” Murray continued, “so I’m looking forward to going to work with him.”
Murray answered questions about “starting” like a seven-year pro, communicating his gratitude for the opportunity to come in and learn the offense under O’Connell and compete.
While Murray was limited to five games last season due to a foot injury — he went 2-3 and didn’t play after Oct. 5 — he said “I take extreme pride in my health” and sounded confident he’ll be readily available.
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And once he’s on the field, competing with J.J. McCarthy, who started 10 games for the Vikings in 2025, and is building rapport with the guys, Murray knows he has one of, if not the best, receivers on his side.
“I’m sure I’ll talk to him here pretty soon,” Murray said when he was asked about his kinship with four-time Pro Bowl WR Justin Jefferson. “My last real interaction with Jettas was at the Pro Bowl. … Everybody knows what type of talent he is, what type of player he is, and his ability is through the roof.
“I’m just super excited to get to work with him; be able to call him a teammate,” Murray added.
In Murray’s mind, it’d be wrong to put a ceiling on expectations with him under O’Connell, who has played a big hand in maximizing the performance of veteran QBs, namely Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold.
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“I don’t want to put any limitations on what that looks like,” he stated. “I know he’s had a tremendous amount of success with multiple different quarterbacks. I know [what] my skill set brings to the game. I know what I’m capable of, and I think that, again, like I said, I’m ready to come in and compete. I can’t wait to be under his tutelage.”
Asked if he viewed this contract as a “prove-it” deal before 2027 free agency, Murray explained his goal every year is to go and prove himself “every time I step between those white lines.” He said, “I take pride in how I play the game, what I bring to the game. And I just want my teammates to know that I’m riding for them regardless of the circumstances, and that they can count on me. So contractually, [the details don’t] matter to me. I’m gonna give this organization everything I got.”
Albert Breer’s Takeaways: Inside Kyler Murray’s Decision to Join the Vikings
Murray was one of a handful of guys Minnesota dove into and studied.
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Gannon’s firing genuinely surprised Murray. Arizona asked him to let the coaching search play out—but by then it was pretty clear where things were going. He was due $38.6 million fully guaranteed in 2026, and if he was on the roster on March 15, $19.5 million of his 2027 money would become fully guaranteed. GM Monti Ossenfort inherited Murray’s contract in 2023. Murray had been in Arizona for two coaching firings. His time was about up.
The Cardinals hired Rams OC Mike LaFleur at the outset of Super Bowl week and wanted to assemble his staff before giving Murray final word. Murray liked the LaFleur hire, having met and enjoyed talking to his brother, Matt, the Packers’ coach. But that didn’t alter the writing that had been on the wall for weeks. So Burkhardt was studying Murray’s options.
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Ossenfort tried to find a trade solution, where he could buy back a pick. The problem was the 2027 guarantee, which would effectively lock in a team trading for him for another year. Ridding the contract of the guarantee would require Murray’s cooperation, and the best thing for Murray, at that point, was to be released, because it would allow him to make choosing his next destination a pure football decision.
Why? Because if the Cardinals had cut Murray to avoid paying the 2027 guarantee, then they’d be responsible for the entire 2026 guarantee, minus what another team paid him. That would allow him and the new team to do a one-year minimum deal and stick Arizona with the bill for the rest. Which effectively made the financials a nonfactor.
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In the 24 hours before the negotiating window opened last Monday, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill called Murray to let him know Arizona would release him at the start of the league year on Wednesday. The conversation was cordial. The team would wait out the two days before announcing anything, on the off chance that something changed on the market and someone came to them with a trade offer. And at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, Murray was cut.
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By then, Murray and Burkhardt had identified Minnesota as, far and away, his best option, with the plan being to prioritize winning, sign a one-year deal and then hope for a long-term landing spot, be it in his 2026 home or elsewhere, in 2027. As part of it, they’d even come up with the idea to do Zooms with teams that might not have an interest in 2026, but could in 2027—to take advantage of the fleeting freedom Murray would have to do so.
But things wound up moving too fast for that. Murray and Burkhardt were together in Texas, with Murray having come off the field from a morning workout, when the agent’s phone started buzzing at 3 p.m. local time. The Vikings’ call came quickly—with EVP of football ops Rob Brzezinski and coach Kevin O’Connell together on the line. They asked to get Murray on a plane ASAP. He booked a 9:10 p.m. flight out of DFW on American.
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The flight was delayed an hour and landed in the Twin Cities at around 12:30 a.m. CT. Burkhardt and Murray didn’t get to the Omni Viking Lakes, adjacent to the team’s opulent practice facility, until 1 a.m. The team wanted to start meetings at 7 a.m. the next day, and the sides agreed—after what had happened with Maxx Crosby in Baltimore the day before and given that Murray was coming off the foot injury—to start Murray’s itinerary with the physical.
He and Burkhardt met in the hotel lobby—Murray actually stayed at that Omni with the Cardinals in 2023—at 6:30 a.m., quickly discussed this being where Murray wanted to be, and then were scooped up by the Vikings at the valet at 7. Murray had part of his physical done off-site and wrapped that part of his day at 9:30 a.m., then met with O’Connell one-on-one, before going into meetings with assistants Wes Phillips, Josh McCown and Jordan Traylor.
Then, Murray, Brezinski, O’Connell, Burkhardt and a few others had lunch in the draft room, the Vikings’ brass broke off for a final meeting with the doctors, and then O’Connell pulled Murray aside and told him he wanted him to come aboard. Murray responded, “This is where I want to be.” And from there, Brezinski and Burkhardt went to negotiate a relatively simple deal on the minimum, with a second year briefly explored, and a no-tag provision included.
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And while Murray still has to win the job from McCarthy, what O’Connell said to Murray did stick with him—that he was the one guy on the market that they could see as a potential longer-range answer, rather than a one-year Band-Aid. The idea of growing with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Christian Darrisaw and O’Connell and his staff was already wildly attractive to begin with. The chance to, perhaps, put down roots only made it more so.
Why the Vikings’ Kyler Murray-Kevin O’Connell pairing is a good fit
“When you actually dive in and really study Kyler’s experience at the position,” O’Connell said, “you do see a lot of really, really great qualities that fit into some of the things we ask quarterbacks to do.”
“I think Kyler is an accurate player,” O’Connell said. “I think he’s learned to play with very, very solid fundamentals in the pass game. I think his ability and experience playing from an NFL pocket has proven to be something where he can make all of the throws.”
Vikings Free Agency Moves Get Instant Verdict from PFF
CB James Pierre signs with the Vikings
PFF Deal Grade: Average
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Pierre looked really good in limited work in 2025, earning an 86.2 PFF overall grade on 408 snaps, so this is a worthwhile swing of the bat for the Vikings. It’s a bigger contract than PFF was projecting, but even if all he is is a good depth player, it’s a perfectly reasonable signing. The upside is that if Pierre can continue to improve, as we saw this past season, the Vikings could be getting a starting-caliber cornerback for a steal.
QB Kyler Murray Signs with Vikings
PFF Contract Grade: Good
After a trying 2025 season that saw Murray play just five games, he lands in an ideal landing spot with the Vikings. Murray hasn’t been as dynamic over the last three years with a 74.3 PFF passing grade, tossing 48 big-time throws compared to 43 turnover-worthy plays, but he’s still a high-ceiling starter who should push J.J. McCarthy. If Murray plays like peak form, this will look like an absolute bargain.
NFL announces top 25 performance incentive bonuses for 2025
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Jalen Redmond Vikings : UDFA : $1,184,087
Latest contract news confirms suspicion regarding the Minnesota Vikings’ salary cap and Rob Brzezinski’s brilliance
Two of the biggest decisions the Vikings had to make were with defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Both were signed to big deals in the 2025 offseason, with Allen getting $51 million over three years and Hargrave $30 million over two years.
The key with both players that was tough for the Vikings was that they each had guaranteed money remaining on their contracts. Allen had a whopping $8 million guaranteed, and Hargrave $4 million. That guaranteed money was a big reason many believed Allen would be on the team next year.
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Because of that guaranteed money and an over-$16 million salary cap hit, they likely had a discussion about a pay cut. Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski likely believed they could get a deal worked out with Allen not having the year he was expecting. That didn’t happen because the free agency market for him was solid.
The contract details for Allen are in on Over The Cap on his two-year deal worth $25 million, and the key was going to be him getting at least $8 million in cash to offset the guarantees the Vikings owed him. Luckily, that is going to be the case, as he will be getting $13.5 million in cash this year from the Bengals.
That will give the Vikings a much-needed salary cap credit in 2027, while also voiding out the cash the Vikings have to pay. They are also getting $4 million in salary cap credits from Hargrave signing with the Green Bay Packers. Getting those credits will offset the $11.2 million in dead salary cap that Allen will carry in 2027.
Brzezinski is playing chess, not checkers, and it’s going to pay off in 2027.
Vikings Winners and Losers Through One Week of NFL Free Agency
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NFL power rankings 2026: Rams, Ravens, Vikings all rise; Patriots & Packers fade after free agency
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Does Foot Injury Take Star DT Prospect Off Vikings’ Board at Pick 18?
Yore Mock
Draft Results from Mock Draft Hero
Pre-Draft Rankings: Pro Football Focus
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Trades
Minnesota Vikings receive: 2.54, 4.137
Philadelphia Eagles receive: 2.49
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Pick 18. Vikings – Spencer Fano (T, Utah) | 6’5″ | 311 lbs
Pick 54. Vikings – Chris Brazzell II (WR, Tennessee) | 6’4″ | 198 lbs
Pick 82. Vikings – Darrell Jackson Jr. (DI, Florida State) | 6’6″ | 315 lbs
Pick 97. Vikings – Genesis Smith (S, Arizona) | 6’2″ | 202 lbs
Pick 137. Vikings – Jalon Kilgore (CB, South Carolina) | 6’1″ | 210 lbs
Pick 163. Vikings – Nick Singleton (HB, Penn State) | 6’0″ | 219 lbs
Pick 196. Vikings – Zane Durant (DI, Penn State) | 6’2″ | 290 lbs
Pick 234. Vikings – Harold Perkins Jr. (LB, LSU) | 6’1″ | 223 lbs
Pick 235. Vikings – Max Bredeson (TE, Michigan) | 6’2″ | 252 lbs
Pick 244. Vikings – Haynes King (QB, Georgia Tech) | 6’2″ | 212 lbs
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UDFA
WR Kaden Wetjen Iowa | 5’9″ | 193 lbs
CB Ahmari Harvey Georgia Tech | 5’11” | 185 lbs
CB Latrell McCutchin Sr. Houston | 6’2″ | 191 lbs
ED Logan Fano Utah | 6’5″ | 257 lbs
S Jakobe Thomas Miami (FL) | 6’1″ | 211 lbs
S Xavier Nwankpa Iowa | 6’2″ | 208 lbsV
LB Jaden Dugger Louisiana-Lafayette | 6’5″ | 239 lbs
LB Karson Sharar Iowa | 6’2″ | 231 lbs
OT Tristan Leigh Clemson | 6’6″ | 315 lbs
I know some might be wondering why take Fano at 18? I project Fanot to move to center ala Graham Barton. Fano purposely took snaps at center at the combine to demonstrate he could do it which is of course, not in a game. Worst case is you have someone to take over for O’Neill if they do not extend him. These are the PFF rankings so you might feel “ so and so will never be there”.
Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:
While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm
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