The Minnesota Vikings, for all intents and purposes, have a quarterback competition on their hands at training camp. After J.J. McCarthy struggled mightily during his first action in the NFL, the team signed Kyler Murray in free agency to come in and compete with him for the starting job.
Given how poorly McCarthy performed last season, it seemed like Murray would have the inside track at being Minnesota’s starter come Week 1. The Vikings have indicated otherwise, suggesting these guys would duke it out over the summer for the starting job, but according to one team insider, that appears to be the furthest thing from the truth.
Kyler Murray Remains Heavy Favorite to Beat J.J. McCarthy for QB Gig
The Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus injury. The team then essentially gift-wrapped the starting job to McCarthy in 2025, but he once again battled injuries and was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league in terms of production when he was actually on the field (140/243, 1,632 YDS, 11 TD, 12 INT).
Murray didn’t have a much better season last year, as he essentially lost his job to Jacoby Brissett, even though the Cardinals claimed he was dealing with a lingering foot injury. The difference here is that Murray has a track record of success in the past, and with Minnesota arguably being a solid quarterback away from competing for a playoff spot in the NFC North division, it always seemed like he was going to get the first crack at running the offense.
On the surface, Murray and McCarthy have split snaps with each other to begin training camp, but as Kevin Seifert of ESPN shared, not all splits come equal. Murray has been taking the majority of the first-team snaps, while McCarthy has spent much of his time with the second-team offense, which is a telling sign of which way head coach Kevin O’Connell is leaning when it comes to this alleged position battle.
“The Minnesota Vikings have split snaps between quarterbacks Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy through the first seven practices of training camp. Beneath the surface, daily observers have seen plenty of indications that Murray remains the heavy favorite,” Seifert wrote. “The Vikings have given Murray roughly two-thirds of the snaps with the first-team offense in 11-on-11 drills … McCarthy has spent a significant portion of his summer working with the No. 2 offense.”
Vikings Seem to Be Inching Closer to Quarterback Decision
GettyKyler Murray #1 and J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings talk during Training Camp at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center on August 01, 2026 in Eagan, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Minnesota obviously doesn’t want to destroy McCarthy’s confidence, as he could still very well be its quarterback of the future. The writing has been on the wall since Murray arrived in town, though. McCarthy didn’t do enough to make the job his own last year, and with the Vikings feeling like they can contend for a title, it makes sense to see what the more experienced Murray is capable of first.
And yet, with O’Connell wanting to protect McCarthy, this sham quarterback competition will probably drag on for another couple of weeks. There’s really no reason to rush into a decision, but unless something drastic happens, Murray will be the team’s Week 1 starter, which will immediately make McCarthy’s future with the team a hot-button topic of discussion.
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