Kyler Murray’s stop in Minnesota never really got off the ground, and Brett Hundley thinks he knows why.
Hundley, who backed up Murray during the quarterback’s rookie year with the Arizona Cardinals, pointed to fit as the missing piece in an interview with Kyle Odegard of Action Network published Wednesday. The former Cardinals reserve said he expected Murray to thrive in Minnesota because of the Vikings’ track record with quarterbacks, but that hasn’t happened.
“I personally thought he was going to do a lot better when you look at the Vikings’ past QB history of coming in and revamping their career. I said before the season I thought that would happen with Kyler, but I haven’t seen what we’re used to seeing with him,” Hundley said.
The timing has been off all season, and the numbers back that up. Murray is averaging 3.17 seconds before he throws, the slowest mark of his eight-year career. In an offense built to get the ball out as the receiver is breaking open, that extra beat can turn clean windows into tight coverage and give the pass rush time to close in.
Hundley said that kind of system demands a very specific kind of quarterback.
“That offense is built around timing. If you threw Brock Purdy in there, he’d be a great fit for that offense.
That’s the type of quarterback. I think Kyler is a great quarterback, but it’s just not a true fit.
When he was drafted in Arizona under Kliff Kingsbury, the offense was built around him, and that’s where Kyler had his best years. We haven’t seen that (in Minnesota),” Hundley said.
The contrast with Arizona is hard to miss. The Cardinals hired Kingsbury out of Texas Tech in January 2019 and took Murray first overall that April to run his Air Raid. Murray won Offensive Rookie of the Year that season, made the Pro Bowl in each of the next two, and ran for 819 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020.
“When you come in as the No. 1 pick, they will build the offense around you,” Hundley said.
Minnesota’s setup was different from the start. Murray arrived on a one-year deal at the veteran minimum after Arizona released him, even though the Cardinals were still on the hook for $36.8 million. In that kind of arrangement, the offense already exists, and Hundley summed up the message in blunt terms.
“We’re running this. Do with it what you can,” Hundley said.
The Vikings’ quarterback picture has already shifted again. Murray’s hamstring gave out in the 19-15 loss at the Detroit Lions on Nov. 1, and Carson Wentz started Monday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. A day later, Minnesota sent a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders to bring Cousins back, and Murray is headed to the backup role once healthy.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported that Murray will back up Cousins once he is healthy, and O’Connell has labeled him week-to-week. Cousins is expected to start Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, with the Vikings sitting at 6-2. Murray’s contract expires after the season.
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