After the Arizona Cardinals released him following a foot injury that ended his 2025 season after just five games, Kyler Murray landed with the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year, $1.3 million contract. The 28-year-old quarterback had interest from elsewhere but decided to sign with the Vikings to work with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
The expectation around the league was that Murray would quickly be named QB1 over J.J. McCarthy. However, the Vikings have yet to name a starter heading into training camp, and Mike Florio raised a pointed concern about how the competition could become a problem.
Why the Vikings Can’t Afford to Mishandle the Kyler Murray-J.J.McCarthy QB Competition
Murray’s tenure in Arizona ended with more questions than answers, as injuries defined his final years with the Cardinals, including a torn ACL in 2022 and a foot injury that limited him to five games in 2025, during which he completed 68.3% of his passes.
McCarthy, meanwhile, completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across his 10 starts last season, ranking near the bottom of the league in virtually every major passing category. According to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 64.3, ranking 37th in the league.
Florio argued on “Pro Football Talk” that Murray’s decision to sign in Minnesota was rooted in the belief he could win the job, and that anything short of earning it could create a serious problem.
“I think Murray went to Minnesota to start, and if he doesn’t get that job, there’s going to be a problem,” Florio said. “It’ll get ugly if Kyler doesn’t get the job because the argument will be, ‘I really didn’t have a fair shake, I don’t know this offense.’ Kyler’s already said, ‘I’ve got to split reps, it’s tough to compete when you have to split reps.’ I don’t know that he said that to set up the excuse, but that’s what the excuse will be.”
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“Maybe McCarthy looks like the better option as week one approaches,” Florio added. “But if you’re doing a projection as to where Kyler Murray’s going to be come week 18, he may be the better option. And the Vikings haven’t won a playoff game since 2019. And even though Kevin O’Connell has had a great regular season record, he’s 0-2 in the postseason. This isn’t about beating the Packers week one; this is about trying to win the division. This is about trying to position yourself to win a postseason game.”
Given that the Vikings haven’t won a postseason game since 2019, the sequencing of this decision matters as much as the decision itself. If Minnesota starts McCarthy and eventually benches him for Murray midseason, the Michigan product’s time with the franchise is likely over.
Players under the most pressure on every NFL team entering 2026, per @jacobinfante24:
ARI: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
ATL: QB Michael Penix Jr.
BAL: DT Nnamdi Madubuike
BUF: WR Keon Coleman
CAR: QB Bryce Young
CHI: EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo
CIN: OT Amarius Mims
CLE: QB Deshaun Watson
DAL:… pic.twitter.com/ahyNEQRvsU— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) June 17, 2026
However, if Murray starts and falters, McCarthy can step in without the same career-defining stigma, and the Vikings still have a path forward.
One approach carries significantly more long-term risk than the other, and O’Connell needs to get this right, or questions about his future in Minnesota will be raised as well.
