Is Murray the likely starter in Minnesota? What’s their QB depth chart looking like?
As a Bears fan, I find this to be a thrilling prospect. I couldn’t be less scared of the Vikes with Kyler under center. I sincerely think JJ is a more frightening opponent. I’m predicting a frustrating game of musical chairs at QB this season.
Closing out another Bears thread, Brisker is headed to the Steelers on a 1 year deal for $5.8M. This is honestly another pretty cheap deal. He’s from the Pittsburgh area so maybe he took a hometown discount, but I’m quite surprised he didn’t get a multi-year deal at his age. He was healthy all last season and played better than he had in 2024. He’s not a perfect player but in the right system he can be a disruptive player.
For that money you have to infer that the Bears really had no interest in him.
As a Lions fan, I’m not too worried about him either.
But I’m still happy for Murray. If he does have any chance of redemption as a QB, it’s probably in Minnesota. Not that it’s likely, but it’s probably the right system and coach for it to work if he does actually have the skills.
I do not expect a huge revival of his career, like Geno Smith or Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones. He might do better in Minnesota, actually he’ll probably do better (just because the Vikings are a better team), but I think his athletic style of play is the kind that peaks early and drops off rather than the kind that needs time to mature and find the right landing spot.
The only reason why I praise the move is the price tag for Minnesota. $1.3M for what’s presumably a starting QB seems like cheating. 
It looks like he is the presumed starter. JJ McCarthy not only has been disappointing on the field, but has barely touched it. He spent his whole rookie season injured, and when Minnesota cut Sam Darnold loose because McCarthy was ready to go, McCarthy played badly and then got hurt. In two seasons he has played 10 games. While Murray was reportedly hurt as well at the tail end of last season, I’m not sure how much of that was real and how much of that was an excuse to keep him off the field and healthy for a potential trade that never happened. (Combined with Jacoby Brissett actually playing better than Murray once he started playing.)
Right now, the depth chart looks like Kyler Murray as the starter, JJ McCarthy as the backup, and Max Brosmer as the third string guy.
Here is an article about what this signing means for McCarthy.
Officially, Murray is there to provide competition for the starting position with McCarthy, but I think this is more of Murray’s job to lose than a real competition. As per the above article:
Vikings officials acknowledged in January that they wanted to add genuine competition for McCarthy, who finished his first – and perhaps only – season as a starter with a 35.6 QBR. That ranked No. 24 among the 26 quarterbacks who started at least 10 games in 2025. But Murray, the No. 1 pick of the 2019 draft, who has accounted for 153 touchdowns in his career, represents more than competition.
McCarthy is young, and maybe this is his breakout year. But I have a feeling they’ve lost faith in him, especially after how last year went.
I watched a breakdown of how smaller quarterbacks fare as they get older. For the most part, it’s not good. Big quarterbacks, after they have been hit a few years, are still big. They also tend to be more durable. Small quarterbacks rapidly decline after their youthful athleticism gets pounded out of them. There is a valid reason why they put so much stock in physical measurements at the combine for quarterbacks.
Kyler by most accounts has been a poor professional, and he’s had a ton of opportunities and support, so I’m not exactly sure why he deserves the well wishes. He’s not exactly a head case or anything, but he also has been an uncontested starter for 6-ish years and the team has invested a lot in supporting talent over that run. This is not a “it was the Jets” kind of situation.
I do think KOC is a very good coach, but he’s never had a QB even remotely close to Kyler. He’s succeeded with Cousins and Darnold, two classic pocket passers who aren’t really scramblers and who are 6’3”. He also drafted JJ who is of the same mold. Maybe KOC is the kind of savant who can win with anyone, but him succeeding with 5’9” Kyler and his middle of the field limitations would be a total departure from what he’s built his career doing.
Who know, maybe Jefferson is simply that good that it doesn’t matter, but I will be fading that offense hard next year.
This is probably the last shoe to drop from the Bears Secondary exodus. CJGJ bailed out the Bears defense when he was signed as a street free agent, but him signing a $6M deal is a bit of a surprise. While he helped a depleted Bears defense, he also really played poorly down the stretch. Brisker who signed for slightly less was a better player and is younger.
I guess he and DJ can ring chase together in Buffalo.
Starting to feel like the Bears might be done with moves on defense until the draft.
Top remaining free agent receivers:
- Jauan Jennings
- Stefon Diggs
- Deebo Samuel
- Keenan Allen
- Christian Kirk
Five years ago that was a murderer’s row of receivers, but today they’re the leftovers.
NFL Memes is having a field day with the Kyler Murray signing.
The 49ers have, so far, brought in WR Mike Evans, DT Osa Odighizuwa, swing tackle Vederian Lowe, and brought back LB Dre Greenlaw. Along with other less splashy moves, like signing kicker Eddie Pinero long-term and a new punter, this has been a most enjoyable offseason. Especially compared with some recent ones where we did nothing or shed good players like a molting snake.
A weird one. Are the Chiefs seriously considering Fields as Mahomes insurance for the start of the 2026 season?
Also, the Jets just got more in trade for Fields (a future 6th) than the Bears did (a 7th). Poles is an idiot.
The Bears got a 6th (that could’ve turned into a 4th) for Fields.
They need a backup because they are not allowed to quit the season if Mahomes goes down again.
It’s not certain he will be ready for week 1. Is Fields the week 1 starter in that case?
Fields with Andy Reid is a wild combo.
I don’t know. Fields was painful to watch last season. I don’t know how much was the Jets and how much was Fields. The Chiefs are not good enough anymore to carry a QB not named Mahomes.
This nugget popped up this weekend.
“I injured a couple of ligaments, but usually when people like when they get fell on or something in their knee, they mess up all their ligaments and people can just go in and repair it and they get healthy," Wills said, via Zack Pearson. "I had minimal damage to my ligaments. It was more of an alignment issue from where I got fell on. So they had to actually – it wasn’t my knee, they had to go into my femur and do what was called an osteotomy to kind of correct my alignment. So my knee is healthy.”
Excuse me…what?
From Gemini
While high tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a standard procedure for active individuals with knee malalignment or early-stage osteoarthritis, it is relatively rare as a standalone surgery for active NFL players. Most elite athletes undergo ligament repairs (like ACL reconstruction) or meniscus surgeries instead.
Notable NFL Players & Case Studies
- Jedrick Wills Jr. (OT, Chicago Bears/Cleveland Browns): In March 2026, Wills revealed he underwent a femoral osteotomy to realign his femur with his hip following a complex 2023 knee injury. He sat out the entire 2025 season to allow the bone to heal and the alignment to correct, eventually signing with the Bears for the 2026 season.
- Trent Williams (OT, San Francisco 49ers): While primarily known for his elite play, Williams underwent a tibial tubercle osteotomy in late 2017 as part of a medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction. He described the recovery as intensely difficult, requiring eight weeks on crutches, but successfully returned to his “best in football” form.
Recovery and Career Impact
For professional athletes, an osteotomy is often viewed as a “career-threatening” or “last-resort” procedure due to the extensive recovery time compared to standard arthroscopic surgeries.
“So technically I was decapitated, but I got through it and now I feel better than ever! I’m really excited to carry this team next year!”
Yeah, I’d be nervous too.
and now we signed C Kirk, 1 year $6m
The Broncos have traded for Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle, sending Miami 1st, 3rd, and 4th round picks in this year’s draft.