2) The best new team-QB pairing is ...
The 2026 offseason has seen its fair share of quarterback re-shuffling. Malik Willis is in Miami. Tua Tagovailoa is in Atlanta. Geno Smith is back with the Jets. And the Arizona Cardinals head into a weak-QB draft with Gardner Minshewand Jacoby Brissett topping the depth chart. Does all of this movement mean anything? Each of these teams dealt with subpar QB play in 2025, so it's not all that surprising that they made significant moves at the game's most important position. The absolute best-case scenario when changing out a quarterback is what happened with the Seahawks last season, who were led to a Lombardi Trophy by Sam Darnold. Of course, career resurrections like that are extremely rare. It's why it's hard to be optimistic about this offseason's QB relocations.
The exception here could be the new pairing between the Vikings and Kyler Murray. The 28-year-old signal-caller and No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft signed a one-year deal Thursday after being released by Arizona, where he flashed major ability but logged more wins than losses in just one season (2021, when his record was 9-5). Minnesota, of course, just finished a frustrating nine-win campaign in part because of dismal play from its own first-round QB, 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy -- one year after Darnold won 14 games there. In that light, the Vikings were smart to bring in a guy with Murray's experience and elite-level talent.
The QB competition that follows will be intently watched over the spring and summer months, and Murray should have a legitimate opportunity to claim a plum job in a Kevin O'Connell-led offense that features plenty of playmakers to distribute the ball to. There's real promise here if Murray can stay healthy (he's recorded just one full season over the past five seasons) and take advantage of his fresh start.
