The Kyler Murray era for the Minnesota Vikings starts on Sept. 13 in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. Murray is looking for a fresh start after the Arizona Cardinals cut ties with him this past offseason.
Nonetheless, Week 1 will give Murray a chance to get off on the right foot and show that he’s still a starting QB in the NFL. Many expect Murray to solve the Vikings’ quarterback issues after a challenging 2025 NFL season.
Despite many being high on the marriage between Murray and head coach Kevin O’Connell, former Vikings offensive guard Jeremiah Sirles issued clear advice for the 29-year-old ahead of his first game against Green Bay.
“Taking care of the football,” Sirles said on the Sept. 8 edition of the “Purple Insider” about what Murray needs to do against the Packers. “That’s the number one thing I’m looking for with Kyler Murray. Can we make sure we make good decisions with the football, get the ball out on time, and don’t hold on to it and take a bad sack because everyone’s covered?
“Those are such elementary quarterback plays that you think are pretty average. But you’re talking about a guy who hasn’t played football in a while. [He] got benched the last half of that year. The game, preseason, everything, the game speeds up exponentially. Crazy amounts between preseason and Week 1. Watching him get through his reads, put the ball not in harm’s way, and then take care of it and operationally move the offense up and down.”
Vikings QB Kyler Murray Doesn’t Need the Flashy Plays
Furthermore, Sirles doesn’t need Murray to display any flashy plays against the Packers. The former player notes that once the former No. 1 pick shows that he can consistently handle the basics, the playbook will open up.
“I don’t need the crazy Sam Darnold 80 yards on a rope that we saw,” Sirles added. “I don’t need the hundred-yard scramble to make it look really cool; I just want to see you operationally in and out of the huddle, command the line of scrimmage, play on time and in rhythm in the passing game, and mostly just take care of the football for Week 1.
“Show you can do all that stuff and, hey, we don’t have to worry about that going into Week 2, and then we can put more on your plate. I just don’t want to go in there with this huge expectation that he’s going to blow the doors off Week 1 and then be like, ‘Oh, he didn’t do it.’ Like, I think we need to let him walk a little before we run with the Kyler Murray experience at quarterback.”
Kyler Murray Issued One Major Concern Before 2026 Season
Meanwhile, Sirles isn’t the only one who wants to see the basics from Murray. Recently, NFL analyst Mark Schlereth wants to believe that will happen, but he has one key concern.
“I have one concern: Will you be able to get Kyler Murray to play on schedule and to fall in love with the boring?” Schlereth said on the Sept. 7 edition of “The OG Football Show.” “Because Kyler Murray has told me in a one-on-one production meeting, calling a game, ‘Yeah, I just want to run more. I want to make more plays. I want to get outside the pocket more.’
“To be really good in this league, 70 percent of the time, and I just throw this number out there, you’ve got to be on schedule. You’ve got to do the boring. You’ve got to take what’s given, and then when things do break down, which they will, that’s when you go make plays.
“But when you play kind of 50-50, off schedule, on schedule, more mistakes happen eventually, inevitably, than big plays, and that’s Kyler Murray’s biggest problem in my mind.”
Former Vikings Player Has Clear Week 1 Advice for Kyler Murray