The Minnesota Vikings have a real quarterback competition on their hands this summer, and head coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t trying to downplay it.
After signing Kyler Murray in free agency, O’Connell now has to decide whether the veteran or 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy is the better option to revive an offense that ranked 27th in PFN’s Offense Impact Rankings last season.
Kevin O’Connell Isn’t Worried About Kyler Murray-J.J. McCarthy’s Chemistry Off the Field
During a recent appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show”, the Vikings HC addressed the Kyler Murray-J.J. McCarthy battle, saying that discomfort is simply part of the process.
“You want the guys to push to find exactly what they can become as players, and it’s okay to be uncomfortable doing that sometimes,” O’Connell said. He pointed out that the NFL doesn’t wait around for anyone to get comfortable.
“We’re in a world where you find out very quickly that you have to be a grown-up in the National Football League because that’s what every Sunday, Monday, Thursday, whatever it is, is about.”
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Both quarterbacks know exactly what they signed up for, according to O’Connell. “We know that. We know what we signed up for. These players know that,” he said.
He added that McCarthy and Murray have handled the situation well so far, and he’s genuinely curious to see how it all plays out.
“I’m excited to see what it looks like. We have a good plan in place to try to make sure we allow this thing to get to a place where we feel good about it, but also prepare the guy that’s gonna be our starter for the regular season.”
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The competition came under even more scrutiny after McCarthy mentioned in late May that he and Murray sit on opposite sides of the quarterback meeting room. Some took that as a sign of friction between the two.
O’Connell shut that narrative down days later. He said the pair have been “very professional” with each other, and stressed that the Vikings haven’t tried to hide anything about how the competition is being run.
“I want players who are smart, tough guys that love football,” O’Connell said, via ESPN. “Guys who — I don’t even want to say are great teammates — that need to attempt to be a great teammate. You need to repeat that time and time again because that process never stops.”
He also made it clear that harmony isn’t the goal. “It also doesn’t mean that everybody has to be smiling every day,” he said.
A Week 1 starter will eventually be named. Until then, O’Connell might have to address the QB situation a few more times.
