NFL insider sounds work ethic alarms about Vikings' Kyler Murray

Free agent Kyler Murray clearly impressed Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell throughout springtime workouts and the early days of training camp, as O’Connell named Murray the club's Week 1 starting quarterback over third-year pro J.J. McCarthy before Minnesota's preseason opener in August. 

It sounds like a familiar criticism of Murray has followed him from his days with the Arizona Cardinals to Minnesota. 

Kyler Murray not "burning the midnight oil" as Vikings starter?

Per Jerry Markarian of Heavy, NFL insider Mike Florio spoke during Wednesday's edition of the "Pro Football Talk Live" program about how Murray is serving as the Vikings' new QB1. 

"The starting quarterback [Kyler Murray] is showing up right on time, and leaving as soon as the bell rings," a source told Florio. "...To the extent that we thought, all of a sudden, he was going to be the guy who gets there well before anyone, and the guy who burns the midnight oil, that’s not happening, at least for now, in Minnesota."

Concerns about Murray's work ethic hovered over him throughout his Cardinals tenure (2019-25). Shortly after Murray signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $230.5M with $160M guaranteed in the summer of 2022, it was learned that the extension included a so-called "independent study" clause that reportedly was later removed. In January 2023, an unnamed player who was with the Cardinals at that time said that "it was like they created a monster" when the club inked Murray to that big-money deal. 

More recently, one of Murray's "former teammates" warned that the New York Jets should not "want" him as their quarterback. Retired quarterback and NFL analyst Shaun King later shared this past winter that Murray "had to break some bad habits to have sustainability in this league," and former NFL executive Louis Riddick questioned Murray's "commitment" and "leadership." 

Is Kyler Murray now following an NFL "Golden Rule?"

"It’s kind of a golden rule," former NFL quarterback and current analyst Chris Simms added during the "Pro Football Talk Live" segment. "As the quarterback, you’ve got to be the hardest-working guy on the team. You’ve got to be in the facility the most. For the football team, the leaders of the team have to be the hardest-working guys." 

O'Connell wants Murray to start the club's Week 1 matchup versus the rival Green Bay Packers on Sept. 13. Murray can silence takes about his preparation for that game by producing an impressive performance at Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium.