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The Minnesota Vikings are looking to benefit from a fresh start for Kyler Murray, who signed as a free agent, after the Arizona Cardinals chose to cut ties with him this offseason.
As a result, Murray is looking to jumpstart his NFL career under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and live up to his potential as a former No. 1 pick. Nonetheless, Murray will need to win the starting job first, given that J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz are on the roster.
With the 28-year-old starting a new chapter, Bob Sturm of 96.7 The Ticket stated that while he’s lost faith in the player, the decision to head to Minnesota gives the player a puncher’s chance to revive his career and follow in the footsteps of Seattle Seahawks‘ Sam Darnold.
“I feel like the last few years in Arizona really made me say, ‘Man, I’m so disappointed that this is how it ended,’” Sturm said on the April 16 edition of “Purple Insider.” “But that’s the cool thing about sports. It didn’t end. Now he has a new beginning.
“There’s a good chance that in a couple of years, he’s making all that money back in Minnesota, once they get the discount year and he makes them very happy. It’s not out of the realm. He has a puncher’s chance to revive his career and rewrite his narrative, like Sam Darnold just did, and I think it’s crazy to doubt him.
“I admit I’ve doubted him over the last several years, but now that he’s playing for the evil archenemy up in Minnesota of Green Bay, I definitely know he’s coming for my scalp because I’ve been publicly doubting him since the Kliff Kingsbury thing went so poorly.”
Cardinals HC Gets Blunt About Kyler Murray’s Exit
On March 30, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur spoke about Murray’s exit from Arizona, and while the team felt it was time to move on, there was no ill will toward the player.
“It’s one of those things that sometimes it’s just good for both parties to part ways, if you will,“ LaFleur told reporters (h/t Bo Brack of PHNX Cardinals). “So again, we wish him the best. He had a lot of success here.
“I know when I was on the other sideline, [Murray] was a problem. And again, wish him all the success, but we felt like this was the best thing moving forward.”
Minnesota hopes to have a Murray with a chip on his shoulder, showing he can live up to the potential that made him the No. 1 pick in 2019. Murray has shown flashes but hasn’t found that consistency.
Ben Leber Shares Concern Over Vikings’ Kyler Murray
Before any snaps are taken, Murray is seen as the favorite for the starting job. However, former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber doesn’t see it that way, as he raised a few concerns.
“Kyler probably, in their mind, is on top of the depth chart, but as I look at it right now, I don’t think you can say that,“ Leber said during an appearance on KFAN on March 23. “The guy has so many question marks. Kyler Murray, speaking of, has so many question marks about whether or not he can fit within this offense.
“There’s going to have to be a compromise from KOC in the plays he calls and the type of style he wants from his quarterback. There’s also going to have to be a measure of movement with Kyler Murray in what he can actually do in this offense. The amount of under-center plays that Kyler Murray has faced in his first seven years in Arizona is a fraction of what [O’Connell] wants.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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