
Kyler Murray's debut with the Minnesota Vikings was pretty much a nightmare.
He got picked off on his first pass, and he couldn't finish the game after being evaluated for a concussion.
With no certainty about his job and Carson Wentz looking sharp against a solid Green Bay Packers defense, some wondered whether head coach Kevin O'Connell could give his veteran another look, even when Murray got back to full strength.
But according to Ian Rapoport, that's unlikely to be the case. Talking on "The Pat McAfee Show," the renowned insider argued that Murray might get a long leash in the Twin Cities.
“Everyone was looking forward to seeing the different dimensions this offense can have with a really dynamic quarterback who could move to throw,” Rapoport said. “I’d be surprised if [Wentz] was their starting quarterback. Kyler is gonna come back, and I would expect it to be him.”
"Kyler Murray is gonna come back and I expect him to be the starting QB for the Vikings..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 15, 2026
Carson Wentz played really good against the Packers and it was really impressive" ~ @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/ha8R2QqEUy
That makes perfect sense, as ugly as his first day in office was. He needs more opportunities to take ownership of the offense, since they already know what they have with Wentz.
That said, the Vikings won't be very patient with any of their signal-callers.
They've moved on from J.J. McCarthy, now the third-stringer, and with a Super Bowl-caliber roster, they will likely turn on Murray as well if the struggles continue.
Wentz completed 12 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns in the comeback win over the Packers, and the arm talent and experience are there, but so are the wild decisions and inconsistency.
Even so, Coach O'Connell takes pride in being a quarterback guru, and he has two veteran reclamation projects to choose from.
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