This offseason, a number of teams around the NFL were looking for a new starting QB, including the Minnesota Vikings. Before last season, the team’s future looked bright with third-year QB J.J. McCarthy finally having a fully healthy year ahead of him, but things quickly took a turn.
It quickly became clear that McCarthy was not ready for the NFL, and his rookie-year injury stunted the QB’s development. For a win-now team, this situation was unacceptable, and they couldn’t wait for McCarthy to improve. The Vikings went out and signed former first-round pick Kyler Murray to a one-year deal, and he has just won the starting QB job.
NFL World Shares Thoughts As Vikings Declare Kyler Murray the QB1 Over J.J. McCarthy
Murray’s time in Arizona was not what many expected from a No. 1 overall pick. He never found his footing, the franchise had its own issues, and injuries plagued his time with the team. Last season was the breaking point, with Murray only playing five games. Just a year before, in 2024, Murray finished the season 13th in PFN’s QB Impact Score, but it wasn’t enough for the Cardinals to bet on him once again.
For the Vikings, Murray was a great QB flier to take, and as long as he can stay healthy (which is nowhere near a guarantee), Minnesota should be an exciting team in 2026. With expectations once again high, it only made sense for the Vikings to go with Murray as the starting QB, and after the news broke, the NFL world wasn’t surprised.
NFL reporter Mike Garafolo revealed that Murray was the obvious decision for Minnesota, “Never a doubt. The Kyler Murray #Vikings era officially begins.”
Never a doubt. The Kyler Murray #Vikings era officially begins. https://t.co/kgLyQhBCB9
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 11, 2026
PFN fantasy football analyst Jason Katz sarcastically poked fun at the Vikings’ obvious choice, “Wow. I can’t believe this. Who ever could have seen this coming?”
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PFN NFL analyst Jacob Infante brought up an interesting point about the timing of this decision from the Vikings and praised Minnesota’s roster: “Pretty unusual to see a QB battle called off before the preseason even starts. Think this is the right move for the Vikings tho. They have a team ready to compete for a playoff spot, and Kyler is the more polished option.”
FanDuel’s X account wondered if naming Murray as the starter means the Vikings may trade away McCarthy:
Will the Vikings end up TRADING J.J. McCarthy? 😳 pic.twitter.com/05OTs94OM4
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) August 11, 2026
NFL analytics coach Ryan Paganetti spoke on the exciting duo of Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and Murray.
”really excited to see how KOC blends Kyler’s skills with his scheme,” he wrote.
really excited to see how KOC blends Kyler’s skills with his scheme
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) August 11, 2026
Fantasy football analyst Ian Hartitz used a funny post from Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert to highlight his favorite moment from Minnesota’s QB competition:
My defining memory of the Kyler Murray – JJ McCarthy QB competition https://t.co/N1ua0NeS8Y pic.twitter.com/EFOKeUxSHj
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 11, 2026
Popular NFL commentary account elitetakes_ also talked about the timing of the QB decision, and pointed out that the early decision will be great for Murray.
“Glad KOC declared this relatively early so Kyler can get all the 1st team reps possible in a new system. But the timing makes it seem like there was never a real competition,” he wrote.
Glad KOC declared this relatively early so Kyler can get all the 1st team reps possible in a new system
But the timing makes it seem like there was never a real competition https://t.co/J7fjFHvyCp
— Nico (@elitetakes_) August 11, 2026
PFN’s Matt Infante talked about seeing the many Vikings fans and analysts who were wrong about McCarthy.
“I’m not usually one to take victory laps at somebody else’s expense. That said, I am enjoying watching so many Vikings fans just EAT IT about J.J. McCarthy, how bad he is, and how wrong so many Vikings fans were,” he wrote. “I think that, because I used to follow (Thor Nystrom), I found myself seeing far too much of Vikings Twitter on my TL. And man, they defended JJ like he was their [expletive] son when anyone with eyes saw he was not a good QB at all. Not even close. So watching these Vikings fans and ‘draft experts’ have to [expletive] EAT IT on McCarthy as he officially loses the QB competition to the ghost of Kyler Murray? It’s glorious. Enjoy!”
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Former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky agreed that this decision from Minnesota was expected, and wondered if Murray could recreate the career turnaround that Sam Darnold (a former Vikings QB) had.
”Figured to be the result. If he distributes he can have a Sam Darnold type rebuild,” he wrote.
PFN fantasy football analyst Kyle Soppe revealed the rate at which WRs had 100 receiving yards in games played with Murray and McCarthy, and how the numbers were much better for Murray:
26x has a player had 100 rec. yards in a game from Kyler
That’s 25 more than players under JJ McCarthy
Kyler: 87 starts (one every 3.3)
JJ: 10 career starts (one every 10)It felt inevitable, but good to have the news in hand for Jefferson/Addison/Jennings#FantasyFootball
— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) August 11, 2026
PFN college football analyst Oliver Hodgkinson poked fun at Murray’s height and the length of the QB competition, “Shortest QB battle of the preseason.”
It was clear that the Vikings were going to go with Murray in this QB competition, but some reactions above highlighted that the timing was still interesting.
The future of McCarthy in Minnesota is up in the air, and a trade could be on its way if the Vikings see enough from Murray. Will it happen before the season? Probably not. But this storyline will be something to pay attention to moving forward.
Regarding Murray as the starter, the offense should be able to have a much better year compared to what happened last season. But once again, it could come down to health.
