There are not many more compelling quarterback battles in the NFL offseason than the one between JJ McCarthy and Kyler Murray for the Minnesota Vikings.
Days before the Vikings play their first preseason game, head coach Kevin O’Connell seemed to indicate that the team has yet to determine who gets the QB1 gig.
“Nothing has really changed from a standpoint of the timeline and things like that,” O’Connell said before Sunday’s practice, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.
“So we’ll see how the reps continue to go and when we feel like we’re at that place, we’re going to make sure we communicate that both in house and internally and obviously to you guys as soon as possible.”
It is also possible that the Vikings have already decided who will be under center for the team in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, and O’Connell simply wants to reveal it at a more appropriate time.
As things stand, it appears that the keys to the offense will be handed to Murray, who may be new to the team but has the clear edge in experience over McCarthy. Seifert previously shared a takeaway about Murray being the “heavy favorite” to win the battle against McCarthy, who went 6-4 as a starter for Minnesota in 2025.
Murray, a former top pick overall, is looking to revive his NFL career with a new team after seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. In 87 career starts in the league, he has amassed 20,460 passing yards and 121 touchdowns against 60 interceptions, while also racking up 3,193 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 532 carries.
