Murray visited Vikings headquarters before agreeing to a contract, one day after he was cut by the Cardinals despite them owing him $36.8 million in guaranteed salary for this season.

Meanwhile, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave will sign with the Green Bay Packers after being released by the Vikings on Wednesday.

The Vikings didn’t have many other options this year for challenging — or replacing — J.J. McCarthy, their 2024 first-round draft pick whose injuries and inconsistency have raised the question of how long they can afford to wait for him to develop.

Murray, despite being sidetracked by recent injuries and dogged by questions about his work ethic, has two Pro Bowl selections, a 67% career completion percentage — and a bonus of 3,193 rushing yards with 32 touchdowns.

Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave lines up for a play against the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 4 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)

After winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, Murray was voted the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and appeared to have the Cardinals on the upswing. He produced multiple electrifying highlights such as the “Hail Murray” in 2020, when he connected with DeAndre Hopkins for a game-winning touchdown pass against the Buffalo Bills on the game’s final play. Murray passed for 400 yards in a Week 2 win over Minnesota in 2021, when Arizona started 10-2 before finishing 11-6.

The Cardinals signed Murray to $230.5 million, five-year contract in 2022 with $160 million guaranteed, but the honeymoon after that hefty commitment was short. A few weeks after the deal was done, the Cardinals removed a strange clause in the contract that mandated four hours of “independent study” during game weeks. The kerfuffle called into question Murray’s work habits, and his relationship with the franchise was never the same.

Murray tore the ACL in his right knee late in the 2022 season, causing him to miss a big chunk of the 2023 schedule in Jonathan Gannon’s first season as coach. The Gannon-Murray relationship held some promise in 2024 when the Cardinals improved to 8-9 and were in the playoff hunt until the final few weeks of the season, but the 2025 season fell apart quickly.

Murray played only five games because of an injury to his right foot that was initially believed to only need a few weeks for recovery. Veteran backup Jacoby Brissett performed well in his absence, Murray was eventually placed on injured reserve, and the Cardinals fired Gannon after tying for the league’s worst record at 3-14. Murray led Arizona to the playoffs just once in seven seasons, a wild-card round loss in 2021 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

Gannon, Green Bay’s new defensive coordinator, was the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator for two of Hargrave’s three seasons with the Eagles. In those two years (2021-22), Hargrave combined for 18.5 sacks and 104 tackles.

Hargrave is getting a two-year, $23 million contract with $10.5 million guaranteed from Green Bay, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. The deal will pay Hargrave $13 million in his first year as he joins his fourth team in five seasons. He has 49 sacks in 10 seasons.