Will Kyler Murray end the Vikings' tragicomic QB history?

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  Kevin SeifertSep 3, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

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  Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

EAGAN, Minn. -- Long before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings this spring, Kyler Murray understood the tragicomic nature of their attempt to find a stable long-term quarterback.

Murray grew up in Texas but has been a Vikings fan since playing for a youth football team by the same name, and he remembers watching quarterback Brett Favre -- the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer in his first year with the Vikings -- throw an interception late in the fourth quarter of the 2009 NFC Championship Game.

"I cried real tears that day," Murray said.

He'll step on the U.S. Bank Stadium field Sept. 13 against the Green Bay Packers (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS) as the Vikings' fourth different Week 1 starter in four years. That only begins to describe the team's itinerant -- but often successful -- quarterback turnstile.

Barring injury or an unexpected level of ineffectiveness, Murray will finish this season as the 18th different quarterback to lead the Vikings in passing since the NFL's free agency era began in 1993. The only teams with more are the Cleveland Browns (20) and Washington Commanders (19), according to ESPN Research.

Generations of Vikings team builders have tried everything.

They've used four first-round draft picks to select quarterbacks, but three of them -- Daunte Culpepper, Teddy Bridgewater and J.J. McCarthy -- had their careers derailed by injuries before they turned 28. The fourth, Christian Ponder, was benched at age 25.

They've acquired two future Hall of Fame passers, Favre and Warren Moon, and tried to lure a third out of retirement (Dan Marino). Some of the team's leadership wanted to sign another future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers, in 2025.

They've tapped veteran backups from Gus Frerotte to Matt Cassel to Case Keenum to Sam Darnold, and acquired three players drafted with the No. 1 pick (Jeff George, Sam Bradford and Murray).

"And probably the one that had the longest tenure and best career there was Kirk Cousins," said Brad Johnson, who had two stints as the starter in Minnesota from 1996 to 1998 and 2005 to 2006.

The Vikings lured Cousins in free agency with a fully guaranteed contract and ultimately paid him $185 million -- more than any player in their history -- to lead them in passing from 2018 to 2023. That stint was the longest of any Vikings quarterback since Tommy Kramer, whose final season as a full-time starter was 1986.

At the same time, however, Minnesota has provided a platform for some of the NFL's best collective quarterback play in the free agent era. From 1993 to 2025, Vikings quarterbacks have the league's sixth-best passer rating (88.5).

In 1994 and 1995, Moon doubled his career total of seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards. Randall Cunningham was an All-Pro in 1998 and finished second in MVP voting. Cunningham, George (1999), Culpepper (2004), Favre (2009), Bradford (2016), Keenum (2017), Cousins (2019) and Darnold (2024) all produced the best passer rating of their careers while playing in Minnesota.

As Murray looks for a career reset of his own after seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, he'll benefit from what Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter calls the "magic" that happens when a quarterback joins the Vikings.

"When you come in here, regardless of what you've done or what people said in [previous] fanbases and everything, we're going to support you," Carter said. "We're going to put some dudes around and behind you. Dudes have career years and then their careers change. And I'm a witness to that. I know it's real."

The '90s, free agency and draft woes

Jeff Diamond remembers the motto 50 years later. After joining the Vikings as a public relations official in 1976, he heard general manager Mike Lynn repeat one team-building philosophy more than any other.

"The most important player on the team is the starting quarterback," Lynn would say, according to Diamond. "The second most important player is the No. 2 quarterback."

It was a nod to both the past and future of the franchise.

Diamond rose to vice president in 1990 and served as the Vikings' de facto general manager. By then, he had seen two backup quarterbacks lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game: Bob Lee in 1977 and Wade Wilson in 1987. It would later happen two more times: with Cunningham in 1998 and Keenum in 2017.

In 1992, Diamond and Dennis Green, Minnesota's head coach from 1992 to 2001, felt so strongly about building quarterback depth that they kept Johnson -- a ninth-round pick in that year's draft -- as a fourth quarterback on what was then a 47-man roster.

In 1993, however, NFL teams got a new tool for team-building: unrestricted free agency. The Vikings dipped in right away, signing longtime Bears starter Jim McMahon to replace incumbent Rich Gannon, whom they traded to Washington.

McMahon gave way to Moon in 1994. Johnson took over in 1996, and Cunningham stepped in early during the 1998 season when Johnson fractured a bone in his right leg. The revolving door of those years did not surprise Gannon, who would eventually develop into an MVP with the Oakland Raiders, whom he led to Super Bowl XXXVII. Green never developed personal relationships with his quarterbacks, Gannon said, and that made it easier for the coach to move from one to another almost each year.

"I thought he was a good football coach," Gannon said of Green, who died in 2016. "He was good at assembling a staff and was really good at managing that stuff. He was a horrible communicator. He did not realize the important nature of that relationship between head coach and quarterback."

The constant turnover was in part a byproduct of draft decisions. After drafting Kramer at No. 27 in 1977, the Vikings didn't use a pick higher than Round 4 to draft a quarterback until selecting Culpepper in 1999, and they hadn't used another first-round pick on a quarterback until drafting McCarthy at No. 10 in 2024.

Consistent playoff success had lowered their position in the first round, and the 1989 trade for Herschel Walker that sent, among other assets, three first-round and three second-round picks to the Cowboys gutted their next three drafts.

So when Diamond traded Johnson to Washington after the 1998 season, securing a package of draft picks that included the No. 11 spot in 1998, a fierce debate broke out in the Vikings' draft room.

Should they attempt to slow the turnstile and dip into a well-regarded quarterback class? Or should they use the No. 11 pick on edge rusher Jevon Kearse, who would elevate a defense to match the explosive offense of their 15-1 team from the previous season?

"Kearse would really be more impactful in that '99 season with a team that was Super Bowl-quality," Diamond said. "So it was very difficult to make that pivot to Culpepper, but for the future of the franchise, it was probably the right move at the time."

Kearse went five spots later to the Tennessee Titans. He earned All-Pro honors as a rookie with 14.5 sacks in helping the Titans advance to Super Bowl XXXIV. Culpepper did not play as a rookie, as George took over for Cunningham. But Culpepper started for parts of six seasons from 2000 to 2005, until he tore three ligaments in his right knee early in 2005 at age 28.

"If Culpepper had not had that terrible knee injury, it would've been a great pick," said Diamond, who departed the Vikings shortly after the 1999 draft to join, ironically, the Titans as team president. "And it was still a good enough pick because they got several good years out of him. It was just one of so many strange, difficult situations."

Hall of Fame receivers and offensive-minded coaches

Culpepper had a strong arm and, at 265 pounds, was difficult to tackle. He also benefited from having two future Hall of Fame receivers in his first two seasons as the Vikings' starter (Carter and Randy Moss) and at least one in five of his six.

In fact, Vikings quarterbacks since 1993 have had at least one Hall of Fame receiver -- or, in the case of Justin Jefferson, one who has been on that track since his rookie season -- in 20 of a possible 34 seasons, including 2026. The Vikings also have fielded other dynamic receivers during that time period, most notably Jake Reed, Percy Harvin, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

All told, Vikings quarterbacks have had Carter, Moss, Reed, Harvin, Jefferson, Diggs and/or Thielen on their team in all but six seasons from 1993 to 2026.

"No one has had better wide receivers since 1993," Carter said. "Our ability to draft guys and retain those guys, that has something to do with it."

Other characteristics unique to the Vikings factor in as well. From Green to Brad Childress to current head coach Kevin O'Connell, the Vikings have employed several offensive-minded coaches with quarterback-friendly schemes. And playing at least nine games indoors every season, whether at the Metrodome or U.S. Bank Stadium, combined with a yearly trip to Detroit, has given them more than half of each season in what Carter called "perfect conditions" for the passing game.

"They're playing inside," Carter said. "That ball is a little tacky. That sure helps compared to maybe Cleveland."

The Vikings hoped to capitalize on that environment with second-tier quarterbacks in the years following Culpepper's injury but encountered drama along the way. Childress traded Culpepper after replacing Mike Tice in 2006 and then tried for three seasons to develop Tarvaris Jackson, a second-round pick in 2006.

Vice president of personnel Rick Spielman traded in 2009 for veteran backup Sage Rosenfels, who thought "he was going to be crowned king," Childress said recently. But both Rosenfels and Jackson went to the bench when Favre signed.

"I can remember Tarvaris being pretty ticked," Childress said, "and coming out on the practice field and being ticked and then us having to talk about it afterwards."

Favre produced a transcendent 2009 season, leaning on Harvin and All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson while coaxing a 1,312-yard season from receiver Sidney Rice, but he was physically spent by 2010, his final NFL season.

Spielman used first-round draft picks to acquire quarterbacks three times in the next six years, beginning with Ponder in 2011 (No. 12) and Bridgewater in 2014 (No. 32) and then trading for Bradford, the 2010 No. 1 pick, in 2016.

Finally, in 2018, he dug deep into the pockets of owners Zygi and Mark Wilf to sign Cousins.

The careers of Bridgewater and Bradford were scuttled by injuries, while Ponder proved to be a bust. Childress, who was fired the year before Ponder arrived, said he would have advised against drafting him.

"He played at a big-time school at Florida State," Childress said. "But I just didn't see it off the tape. Hindsight is 20/20, but he didn't have the skills and abilities you need."

Life after Kirk Cousins

That mistake, and the drama that occurred on either side of it, was mild compared to the Vikings' efforts to find Cousins' replacement after he left for the Falcons in 2024.

That season, McCarthy became the first quarterback drafted in the first round to miss his entire rookie campaign because of injury in the NFL's modern draft era, which began in 1967. Darnold, signed as a hedge in case McCarthy needed more time to develop, had a career season. Midway through the season, the Vikings signed Jones to their practice squad -- a move widely interpreted to be a precursor to Jones returning to pair with McCarthy in 2025.

That plan left the Vikings comfortable with letting Darnold leave for Seattle in free agency, making him one of two quarterbacks in NFL history to play elsewhere the year after a 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown season. Jones surprised the Vikings by signing with the Indianapolis Colts, however, making McCarthy the starter by default, and Darnold went on to win Super Bowl LX.

It took the franchise only 10 games and 243 pass attempts to render judgment on McCarthy, far quicker than even Ponder (35 games and 1,013 pass attempts over three seasons).

Selected No. 10 in 2024, McCarthy was the highest-drafted quarterback in Vikings history. In 34 drafts beginning with 1993, they've picked in the bottom half of the first round 22 times. They've had a top-10 pick only eight times and landed in the top five once.

Those high picks have usually coincided with weak quarterback classes or, in the case of 2005, when they had an established starter. Culpepper was coming off his best season, and the Vikings passed on Rodgers at No. 7. Culpepper suffered his knee injury seven games into the 2005 season.

"The whole quarterback thing is just so much about timing," Diamond said.

Kyler Murray's turn

Can Murray replicate the production of Cunningham, George, Favre or Darnold? There are plenty of templates in recent Vikings history to draw from.

"I think one of the first things I noticed walking in this building when I took my visit, I was just thinking to myself, history repeats itself," Murray said. "I don't think anybody really realizes the history in this building or in this state, in this organization. The amount of players that are up on these walls, the banners that are up on these walls. I was a fan and [even] I didn't know."

Murray's raw skills were evident to training camp observers this summer. Many people in and around the NFL are fascinated to see how he performs with a franchise that is not the Cardinals, where he spent his first seven seasons. But like any quarterback who reaches free agency, he has some drawbacks. Childress summed them up succinctly, focusing on Murray's 5-foot-10 frame.

"Feels like he's throwing out of a well sometimes with those 6-6 linemen," Childress said. "He's got a great arm, great touch, but you've got to be able to see through those guys and you got to be able to let the ball go early."

Every NFL fanbase hopes its team can draft and develop long-term starting quarterbacks. The Packers are the envy of the league for replacing Favre with Rodgers and then Jordan Love over the entirety of the free agency era, without a single season helmed by a short-term starter. In that time frame, the Packers have played in three Super Bowls and won two.

Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton was the Vikings' leading passer in 13 of their first 18 seasons (1961-78), a span that included four Super Bowl appearances though they came up short each time. They've made the playoffs 16 times in the free agent era but have never advanced to the Super Bowl.

Short-term NFL veterans have won championships. Trent Dilfer did it during his only season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. Johnson was in the second of his four seasons in Tampa Bay when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002, and Darnold won Super Bowl LX in his first season with the Seahawks.

"It's the timing of it," Johnson said. "You have got to be lucky, honestly. You've got to be good, and you got to have a good team with you. And then the rest can be just the luck of the draw.

"Honestly, the quarterback play in Minnesota over the years has actually been a lot better than people think. There's been a lot of great quarterbacks that have come through there. Sometimes you just have to appreciate the year you have with a guy rather than look for the next one."

Said Murray: "I know I'm here for one year technically, but [I want to do] everything that I can do to gain ground and accomplish what we believe we can do every season, make this my best season ever, make this a season to remember for the Vikings."

Even before Murray plays in his first regular-season Vikings game, it's easy to see how the franchise could be in a familiar position next spring. His contract includes a clause that prevents the Vikings from using the franchise tag on him, so if he has a great season, he has a clear path to a market-level contract in free agency. If he has a poor or even average season, the Vikings might not re-sign him.