Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray is ready for his first start in purple.
Murray signed with the Vikings in free agency and won the starting QB job in the offseason. He will take the field for the first time in nearly a year on Sunday when the Vikings take on the division rival Green Bay Packers.
“I’m excited,” he said Thursday. “Honestly, just taking it one day at a time, though. Out of my— I don’t know how many years I played football—this has got to be right up there for the most anticipated. I can’t tell you how excited and ready I am to just be on the field again.”
“I haven’t played since October, so it’s been a long time for me, but at the same time, being even-keeled like I always am, and just keeping the main thing the main thing, taking it one day at a time till we get to Sunday, and trying to put the best product out there on the field for the team.”
A reporter asked Murray if he was nervous.
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“I’ve been playing football my whole life,” he replied. “If I didn’t have those anxious butterflies or those nerves, I’d feel like maybe I shouldn’t be doing it anymore. But … I’m excited, and I can’t wait.”
Murray played his first seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, having been drafted to them first overall in 2019. But he had only one winning season as a starter during that time. After Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell rehabilitated the career of Sam Darnold, Murray is looking for that same career renaissance.
The Cardinals also let go of head coach Jonathan Gannon in the offseason; Gannon landed on his feet as the Packers’ defensive coordinator. A reporter asked Murray what he expected to see from Gannon on Sunday.
“I expect him to play super hard, be competitive, a lot more things,” Murray said.
“But nonetheless, JG, I loved my time with him. So, I know how hard he’s going to coach his guys and how hard he’s going to have them playing. So, that’s something we’ve got to be ready for.”
He will also have to prepare for a rowdy atmosphere in battling an NFC North rival. Murray said he was not familiar with all the history, but he respected the rivalry nonetheless.
“I’m not really looking into it like that right now,” he said. “I’m really focused on, like I said, taking it one day at a time.”
“I understand the rich tradition behind it. And it’s a big deal when the Vikings and the Packers suit up against each other, as it should be. It should be a competitive game. And you want to see the best on the best. But at the end of the day, we’re going out there and playing football, trying to win the game. So, I’m not really too much focused on the optics of everything, just trying to go out there and execute.”
“I think as time goes on, when you’re throwing to a guy like that, my experience being with good receivers, great receivers, it’s easy to throw to those guys, and you just don’t mess it up,” he said.
“I think that we’ve played a lot of football, and I think this has been easy for us, the maturation of us getting familiar with each other. I’m excited for what this season has in store.”
