Kyler Murray didn’t just sign with the Minnesota Vikings. He came back to the team that broke his heart as a kid and when he said so publicly on Thursday, the man responsible for that heartbreak had something to say about it too.
Murray is a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback who spent seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He spoke at his introductory press conference in Minnesota on Thursday after signing a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum of $1.3 million with the Vikings.
“Ever since I started playing tackle football, I was 7 years old,” Murray said. “Genuine fandom that ran deep. Vikings gear through and through. A lot of purple in my household.
“I cried real tears whenever Brett threw that interception. I cried real tears that day.”
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Favre didn’t stay silent and retweeted Murray’s comments on Friday.
“That’s the loss that hurts most… We had a real chance to win a Super Bowl that year.“
That’s the loss that hurts most… We had a real chance to win a Super Bowl that year. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Brett Favre is the Hall of Fame quarterback who wore purple for two seasons and took Minnesota to the doorstep of a Super Bowl before it all fell apart.
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The play Kyler Murray referenced happened late in regulation of the 2009 NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints. With the Vikings in field goal range, Favre was hit and threw across his body. The interception ended Minnesota’s drive. New Orleans won in overtime and went on to win the Super Bowl. Murray was 12, watching it unfold.
Now 28, Murray joins a Vikings offense stacked with wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, plus tight end T.J. Hockenson. He’ll work under coach Kevin O’Connell, who helped resurrect Sam Darnold’s career last season. Murray noted O’Connell first approached him at the NFL combine eight years ago and never stopped checking in.