On Sunday, Kyler Murray will make his first start for the Vikings. And he will be the ninth quarterback to start a game for the Vikings since 2023.
Via NBC Sports research, that’s tied for the most in the NFL during that stretch, with (not surprisingly) the Browns. (Cleveland has had 42 starters since returning to the NFL in 1999; no other team has started more than 30 over the same time period.)
In 2022, coach Kevin O’Connell’s first year with the Vikings, Kirk Cousins started all 17 regular season games. He made the first eight starts in 2023 before tearing an Achilles tendon in Green Bay.
Since then, it’s Jaren Hall (two games), Joshua Dobbs (four), Nick Mullens (four), Sam Darnold (all 17 in 2024), JJ McCarthy (10), Carson Wentz (five) and Max Brosmer (two).
Given that Wentz and McCarthy are currently on the roster and Brosmer is on the practice squad, the Vikings likely won’t be starting a different 10th quarterback in 2026.
In 2022 and 2024, when the same guy started every game, the Vikings made the playoffs. The hope will be that Murray gets to start 17 in 2026 — and that the Vikings return to the postseason.
