A New QB Option Has Surfaced for the Vikings in 2026

“Gannon initially said after Arizona’s 27-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night that ‘nothing’s changed’ in terms of his starting quarterback, meaning Brissett would back up Murray once he is fully healed. But Gannon said Tuesday he likes how well the offense is operating under Brissett’s guidance.”

The internet spent the rest of the day debating whether Murray had been kindly benched in favor of Brissett, mainly because the offense has run more efficiently with Brissett in charge.

What Happens if McCarthy Suffers Another Serious Injury?

When you scanned this article’s headline and introduction, you probably thought something to the effect of, “We don’t need no damn Kyler Murray. We have J.J. McCarthy. Stop it.”

That assertion is fair.

But what happens if McCarthy tears something in the next nine games? The youngster missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn meniscus and five games this year with a high ankle sprain. In all likelihood, McCarthy will be just fine — three injuries in two seasons would be pretty freaky — and Murray will join some other team.

Still, if McCarthy were to succumb to a season-ending injury that bled into 2026, the Vikings would have no choice but to explore a quarterback alternative, either from the draft, free agency, or via trade.

Insert Murray in that doomsday scenario.

A Long Shot, but One Worth Remembering

Murray’s situation seems to be 50% injury and 50% soft-bench. When the world claimed that McCarthy last month, the theory didn’t make any sense. But in Arizona, the coaching staff is hinting at a little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B.

wrote this week, “It seems to me that the decision is about more than just Kyler Murray’s injured foot. It’s about saving jobs and keeping the franchise from a (yet another) potential reset in a year or two.”

“Officially, Murray and the Cardinals have been consulting with doctors who say his timetable for return could be as long as eight weeks and that there’s an increased chance of a setback until he’s fully healed. At least that’s what ESPN’s esteemed insider Adam Schefter had to say on X, formerly Twitter.”

The Cardinals have a 7.3% chance of reaching the postseason, according to ESPN’s Predictive FPI metric.

injury history doesn’t stabilize.

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