The expected signing of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray presents head coach Kevin O’Connell with a tough choice. While Murray brings experience to the Minnesota Vikings, this adds uncertainty to J.J. McCarthy’s future (on the back of the lowest completion percentage in 2025). In all of this, former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has advised on what needs to be mastered first.

“Well, I would never play a quarterback until he has absolutely mastered third down pass protection, like if you can’t master third down pass protection, you should never be on the field,” Hasselbeck said on The Rich Eisen Show. “Don’t care where you were drafted. How much money you make, who’s in front of you, what the team looks like? That’s the test for me. And so when guys play before that, they fail, it’s just what it is.”

In the video clip, Hasselbeck stressed that quarterbacks should not be rushed into starting roles. Instead, he gave a blueprint for them to develop in a controlled environment rather than being thrown into live games too quickly. Hasselbeck also pointed to examples such as Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and Patrick Mahomes while explaining how young quarterbacks can benefit from patience and proper development.

“So like some of it is like testing them in a controlled environment so that you know that they’re ready,” he added. “Using Patrick Mahomes as an example, he sat the entire season backing up Alex Smith. His whole first season was he talented enough to play, sure he was, but Andy Reid Company felt like, ‘Hey, you haven’t earned it, we’re not ready to give that to you’. Last game of the season, they played him in a real game, and he played incredibly well, and they said all right, next year is yours like that’s how it went down.”

Though McCarthy would’ve liked more reps in his first season, he also spent observing the starting quarterback after he suffered a season-ending injury. He was on injured reserve due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, which he suffered in practice shortly after he was drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

In his 2025 season, he had a 6-4 record, passing for over 1,600 yards and throwing 11 touchdowns. However, he was sacked 27 times for a loss of 149 yards, indicating some issues he had with pocket presence.

Last season, J.J. McCarthy’s 57.6% completion rate raised questions about his readiness amid an injury-hit campaign. But young quarterbacks often endure growing pains early. Trevor Lawrence started all 17 games as a rookie in 2021 and still finished with just 59% completions. This parallel supports Matt Hasselbeck’s point that young quarterbacks often need more time to develop.

Based on Hasselbeck’s comments, the Vikings may benefit from giving McCarthy more time to develop rather than moving on too quickly. Meanwhile, they now have a 28-year-old NFL veteran joining his first new franchise after spending his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is thrilled over Kyler Murray signing

The Minnesota Vikings have added a new quarterback to their roster. As many expected after his release from the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray has signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the team.

Kyler Murray entered 2024 as Arizona’s starter, but his momentum quickly stalled the following season. A persistent foot injury limited the quarterback to just five appearances in 2025, raising fresh durability questions around one of the league’s shortest starting QBs at under six feet.

With age and limited availability working against him, the Cardinals ultimately chose not to bring him back. That decision opened the door for the Minnesota Vikings, who moved swiftly to secure the former Pro Bowler on a low-cost, one-year prove-it deal.

His arrival gives head coach Kevin O’Connell another experienced option at quarterback and could potentially shake up the depth chart. While Murray is widely viewed as a strong candidate to start, O’Connell has not officially named a starting quarterback yet.

For now, the head coach has simply shared his excitement about bringing Murray into the team.

“Really excited about the opportunity to add a talent like Kyler Murray,” head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters on Thursday evening. “What he’s done on the field has always been something, from the time evaluating him coming out in the draft to now, he’s always been a guy I’ve really kept an eye on and watched his quarterback journey.”

Murray joins the Vikings at an interesting stage in his career. Over the past four seasons, injuries have slowed him down, and the wins haven’t always come easily. His performances have been inconsistent at times; however, his stats speak for themselves.

In 87 career starts, Murray has thrown for more than 20,000 yards and has scored a total of 121 passing touchdowns.

“I think we accomplished a goal, which was to add a really talented player with some experience in that room.” O’Connell added, “(That’s) something that I’m really excited about as we set out to elevate that quarterback room.”

His addition also brings competition to the quarterback room, where he’ll be competing with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy as the team evaluates its options heading into the season.