The league has changed a lot since Foreman, and even moreso since Peterson. There are very few bell cow backs across the NFL at this point, and that means the running back room needs to be a strong collection of its parts.

Minnesota has been fortunate to select the right names behind their starter as well. Latavius Murray is among those solid backups, and his brief run with the Vikings was a successful one.

Latavius Murray calls it a career

Last season former Minnesota Vikings running back Latavius Murray was without an NFL team willing to put him on the field. Rather than wait around for another suitor after training camp this season, he’s ready to be done.

Veteran RB Latavius Murray is retiring from the NFL.

Former 6th-round pick finished his career with over 8,000 yards and 61 TDs — and was highly respected by coaches and players, as you can tell in this video: pic.twitter.com/gDVUePVAYb

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 31, 2025

Murray signed with the MN Vikings prior to the 2017 season. Dalvin Cook played just four games that season so it became the Murray and [Jerick] McKinnon show. Murray turned 216 carries into 842 yards and eight touchdowns.

His opportunities diminished in 2018 with Cook coming back from injury, but he remained a productive part of the offense. He ran for 578 yards and another six touchdowns.

Murray signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 and found plenty of playing time with the consistent uncertainty of health tied to Alvin Kamara. The former UCF product turned in a nice ten-year career after being a sixth round pick.

Now 35 years old, Murray leaves the game with 6,552 yards and 59 touchdowns to his credit. Rarely the lead guy, he constantly produced when given opportunities. He made a Pro Bowl with the Oakland Raiders in 2015 and walks away with more than $22.1 million in career earnings.

Related: Minnesota Vikings JJ McCarthy Plan Revealed

As was the case with Murray behind Cook, the Minnesota Vikings will look for quality production from Jordan Mason behind veteran Aaron Jones this season. They kick off the exhibition schedule on August 9 against the Houston Texans.

Not much has gone as planned this season.

– You’re supposed to make 37 yard field goal to win games.

– You’re supposed to handle the Bills with ease.

– Our offense (with a new QB) was suppose to take a few weeks before they built the rapport they seem to already have.

– We brought back 10 of 11 starters from the best defense in the NFL and upgraded the 11th spot with Sheldon Richardson.

Kyle Brandt of Good Morning Football said it well. The loss of Everson Griffen was similar to the Steelers losing Ryan Shazier. Everson was the defensive leader both on an off the field. There has to be a part of this defense that constantly has their mind with him.

This week, against the (struggling) reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, is the week we put it all together.

via GIPHY

Vikings run game gets going with 125+ yards rushing as a team:

Dalvin Cook is a game-time decision on whether he will play. I foresee him playing, but still on a limited basis. Dalvin’s limited play combined with Latavius Murray and maybe even some Mike Boone need to get going. The only win we have so far this season, is the only game where as a team we have 100+ yards rushing. This is not a coincidence. This will help us in the passing game and also allow us to have a greater time of possession.

Establishing a running game would also be a boost for an offensive line, that has clearly struggled in the run game. The return of Pat Elflein should help, as he looked pretty good against a stout Rams defensive interior. Hopefully, more time together as a unit assists the offensive line, especially in the run game.

Mike Hughes gets his 2nd career INT:

Mike Hughes’ interception in week one has been the only correct bold prediction for me so far this season. A clear sign that this season isn’t on the right track… yet.

Mike Hughes with the pic-six, his first career Interception! @_Bigmikee1 pic.twitter.com/YtbWjtXggn

— mnsportsinfo (@mnsportsinfo1) September 9, 2018

Trae Waynes has been ruled out with a concussion so we should see a lot of Mackenzie Alexander and Mike Hughes. With Xavier Rhodes likely shadowing Alshon Jeffery, Mackenzie Alexander will likely be on Nelson Agholor. I expect Carson Wentz to exploit that matchup, however, there could be a lot of Safety-help with Agholor over the top.

If Mack does sit in the slot with Agholor, it leaves Mike Hughes on a mixture of Jordan Matthews and Kamar Aiken. Zimmer’s newest rookie DB has had some growing pains, but I believe this is the week he takes charge.

Anthony Barr has 2+ sacks:

The Vikings have ruled out both Everson Griffen and Tashawn Bower. That leaves only Danielle Hunter and Stephen Weatherly as the active defensive ends. The Vikings may finally be forced to experiment with Anthony Barr as an edge rusher on Sunday…  out of necessity.

Dropping back in coverage hasn’t worked out too well for Barr so far this season, but that might not be entirely his fault. However, I do foresee his hand in the dirt more often vs the Eagles, or at least more packages featuring 55 as a blitzer.

Barr attacking the QB and recording two sacks would be a big help, not only for the team on Sunday, but also for his potential contact discussions.

Final score prediction: Vikings 38-7 Eagles  (lol)

Real Final score predictions: Vikings 34-24 Eagles

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Ian Parrague
Minnesota Sports Fan

And never forget…. Super Bowl or not, Eagles’ fans are fucking stupid:

Currently, the majority of Skol Nation’s talk (rightfully so) remains centered around the all-important QB position. With the Kirk Cousins acquisition dominating the Viking-related headlines, some may have missed this information regarding RB Latavius Murray:

#Vikings are expected to ask RB Latavius Murray to take a pay cut, and if he refuses, word is the team will release him. Murray is scheduled to make $5.15 million in base w/ a $6.35 million cap hit

Per: Shawn Zobel pic.twitter.com/TKX4DQlM3P

— VikingNations (@VikingNations) March 13, 2018

It’s no secret that Dalvin Cook is slated to be Minnesota’s main ball carrier, next season. Per reports, the Florida State alum is ahead of schedule in recovering from his ACL tear. As he did prior to the knee injury, the 22 year-old is said to look “phenomenal.“

Another non-confidential piece of information is that Jerick McKinnon is on his way to San Fransisco.

One of the most surprising deals of free agency will be Jerrick McKinnon’s with the 49ers: It is expected to be a four-year deal worth $30 million — an average of $7.5 million per year, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2018

There is only one “r” in Jerick, Adam.

With McKinnon *insert “Jet” pun here* from Minnesota for the big bucks in SF, let’s not forget about the still-highly paid running back on the roster in Minnesota. As tweeted above, Murray carries a $6.35M 2018 cap space, if still on the roster on March 16th (Friday). 

Prior to Wednesday’s league-wide FA deals, Murray was scheduled to be the fifth highest paid RB in 2018. Jet got that fat contract because he’s an all-purpose back, unlike Murray. Latavius catches the ball well out of the backfield but his maneuvering and speed, once he has the ball, leaves plenty to be desired. It’s definitely hard to argue his value being worth top-5 RB money…

The Purple need depth on both sides of the field but may not have much money to do it, given the recent money spent (or about to be spent) on QB. This is 2008 2018. The all eggs in one basket, AP-esque days are dead. Rest in Peace.

If given the ultimatum (as expected) to take a pay cut or take a hike, there are no clear indications on how Murray would react. However, if forced to cut ties, the Vikings would save over $4M in cap space (the cap penalty to cut him is only $1.2M compared to the $6.35M hit, if on the roster after Friday, from above).

In the event you want to lose sleep, do it over the Vikings’ lack of defensive line depth. Compared to the magnitude of that situation, this little RB hiccup is child’s play.

With that being said, you’d assume the Tay Train will accept his value, and take the pay cut. In the event he doesn’t, the way I see it, his services are damn near a dime a dozen. Whether it’s via free agency or the draft, a suitable replacement for Latavius Murray wouldn’t be difficult to find.

Go sign Legarrette Blount for $1M. He does everything just as good as Murray for a fraction of the cost. Already would know the offense too. https://t.co/CXV05ffXWi

— J.R. (@JReidDraftScout) March 13, 2018

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com