Randy Moss Has Some Thoughts on Kyler Murray

Moss on Murray

Speaking to Bleacher Report, Moss opined, “I’ve always rooted for Minnesota. When you look at the success of the team, either good or bad, it has been because of the quarterback play. You had Sam Darnold, you had Daniel Jones. But you go with the youngster McCarthy, and he was not able to provide that answer, so you had to go out and get a guy like Kyler Murray.”

“What I’m excited about is the opportunity in front of Kyler Murray. He’s got a great wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, who now can try to regain his dominance as the No. 1 wide receiver in all of football. Kyler Murray also has something to prove.”

When Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has his starting quarterback — Kirk Cousins in 2022 or Sam Darnold in 2024 — his team has won at least 13 games in a season. If injuries emerge and quarterback instability ensues, Minnesota morphs into a middling-to-decent squad.

Moss added on Murray, “He was the future of the Arizona Cardinals, but they basically threw him away. If he’s able to deliver the ball to Justin Jefferson, everything else with the defense and every other weapon will be fine.”

“But all eyes will be on whether he can do that so they both can regain their dominance.”

How Murray Got Here

The Arizona Cardinals drafted Murray in 2019 with the first overall pick, replacing quarterback Josh Rosen, who had been selected in Round 1 the previous year. Murray would later stabilize the Cardinals’ QB1 spot for seven years while the franchise posted no playoff wins.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray attends UFC 274 at Footprint Center during an offseason appearance away from the football field. Murray watched the event from the crowd on May 7, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona, while remaining one of the NFL’s most recognizable dual-threat quarterbacks entering another important Cardinals season. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.

Fast forward to the 2026 offseason, and the Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon, hiring Mike LaFleur as his replacement. The Cardinals’ brass decided it was time for a fresh start at quarterback, and with Arizona possessing virtually no trade leverage over Murray, they released him in March.

Then, it became a no-brainer that Murray would sign in Minnesota — the Vikings needed a quarterback to compete with J.J. McCarthy, and Murray was a Vikings fan as a kid.

In the end, Arizona will pay Murray to play for the Vikings, as Minnesota signed him to a deal worth $1.3 million for one year.

A Subtle Reversal from Moss?

Moss’s endorsement of Murray is a slight reversal of his previous comments about the Vikings’ offense. Ex-NFLer Alex Smith picked Moss’s brain on ESPN airwaves in December, asking him if wide receiver Justin Jefferson should stick around for the long haul if McCarthy’s development took longer than expected, and Moss said to Smith, “I wouldn’t. I would not.”

Fans would’ve expected Moss to tell Jefferson to have patience, but he point-blank said he’d find a way out if the decision were up to him. Five months later, Moss is hyped about Murray and the upcoming chemistry with Jefferson.

In Moss’s defense, he had no way of knowing at the time that the Vikings landing Murray for the NFL’s version of free would be in play during the offseason.

McCarthy as a Fallback

If, for some reason, Murray does not take off inside O’Connell’s offense or if he gets hurt — Murray has missed 26% of all career starts due to various injuries — McCarthy will be ready. He’s used the 2026 offseason to hone his mechanics, eat humble pie with Murray’s arrival, and follow a natural maturation pattern.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy flips through the air after a tackle from Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell during first-half action at Ford Field. The play unfolded on Nov. 2, 2025, in Detroit, Michigan, during a physical NFC North showdown as players closed around the collision in the middle of live game action. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han-Imagn Images.

It’s an underrated 2026 storyline for Minnesota: Will McCarthy be ready to seize the moment when Murray exits the lineup (for whatever reason), or will he still feature his erratic play, intermixed with a bizarre tendency to get injured?

The Vikings’ best-case scenario might be for McCarthy to develop as planned. That is — when O’Connell calls upon him in 2026, he steps into the huddle and looks the part of an accurate and productive signal-caller.

Until then, Moss has big plans for Murray to explode in the Twin Cities. He thinks the Vikings are on to something.