Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy has found himself locked in an almighty battle to win the Vikings’ starting job next season. Ahead of training camp, former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who was signed on a one-year deal, is providing stiff competition for McCarthy for the Vikings’ starting job.
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Addresses J.J. McCarthy-Kyler Murray QB1 Battle
During an appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show” this week, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell issued a challenge to the contenders for the team’s starting job and discussed the impact of winning it.
“Kyler has come in and done a great job. J.J. I think has benefited from it, he had a really good spring,” O’Connell said. “Carson Wentz is this veteran quarterback in the room that as a guy who’s played seven or eight quarterbacks in the last four years, the two years we had our starter play the whole season, we won 13 and 14 games.
“We wanna get back to the standard of having the quarterback position be a driving force behind us winning by doing their job and hopefully activating the great players they get to play with. We got a great defense. If we can limit giving the football away and generate some explosives and get our run game going, I’m excited about where we are at.”
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Murray is a league veteran after being selected No. 1 overall by the Cardinals during the 2019 NFL Draft. Murray won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and in 2021, he led the Cardinals to their first playoff appearance in six seasons.
Despite being released after seven years, the former Oklahoma Sooners star has not backed down from a QB1 competition in Minnesota. On the other hand, after being selected No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus.
Last year, McCarthy became the Vikings’ starter after Sam Darnold joined the Seattle Seahawks. McCarthy led the Vikings to a 6-4 record in games started last year as O’Connell’s team slumped to a 9-8 finish. McCarthy and Murray shared first-team reps during the Vikings’ OTAs and minicamp.
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O’Connell further declined to reveal which player had an inside track for the QB1 job, instead focusing on how the battle will help the team improve.
“I’m not really familiar with a closed competition,” O’Connell said. “I’ve heard that everyone’s fascinated with that aspect of it, but here’s what I would say.
“The goal going into this offseason was to elevate the quarterback position because when we have a certain standard of play that we feel like we have multiple guys in that room that we feel are capable of reaching that standard, the Minnesota Vikings win football games.”
Last season, Murray tallied 962 passing yards on 68.3% completion, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, while adding 173 rushing yards and 1 touchdown.
On the other hand, McCarthy earned a PFSN QB Impact score of 67.0, ranking him at No. 34 in the league after registering 1,632 passing yards on 57.6% completion, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while adding 181 rushing yards and 4 scores.
