The Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason with some very important items on their to-do list. Of course, finding a quarterback to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job was at the top of that list, and the Vikings managed to fill that need by signing Kyler Murray in free agency after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals.
After a disappointing season in 2025, all eyes have been on McCarthy heading into the new season, especially with many folks expecting him to lose the starting job to Murray. However, one guy who believes McCarthy has what it takes to beat out Murray is his former teammate, wide receiver Adam Thielen.
Adam Thielen Dishes on J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray Competition
McCarthy was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but after suffering a meniscus injury in August, he missed his entire rookie campaign. Despite not having played a single snap in the pros, McCarthy was handed the starting job without any real competition last year, and that ended up being a move that backfired on the Vikings.
As he battled injuries again, McCarthy only played in 10 games, and his numbers during his time on the field weren’t particularly great (140/243, 1,632 YDS, 11 TD, 12 INT, 37 CAR, 181 YDS, 4 TD). Without a true option to replace him, though, Minnesota had to keep trotting out McCarthy when he was healthy.
The problem is that you can make a case that the Vikings are a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender, which is why bringing a guy like Murray to town was so important. After briefly playing with McCarthy last season, though, Thielen urged Minnesota and its fanbase not to give up on him so soon.
“He’s got all the traits to be a successful quarterback in this league,” Thielen said of McCarthy on “Good Morning Football.” “He has the skills, he has the strong arm, he has the mindset that not a lot of guys have, he has this dog mentality that everyone wants to find … At the end of the day, he’s really young … and he hasn’t played a lot of football at a high level. I’m excited to see, as he matures, what that looks like.”
Vikings’ Quarterback Competition Set to Dominate Training Camp Headlines
GettyJ.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray’s position battle could be closer than it appears from the outside looking in.
Considering how badly McCarthy struggled last season, it seems like he may be on the outside looking in when it comes to the Vikings’ quarterback competition heading into training camp, even though Murray is the team’s new addition. However, Minnesota isn’t going to make a decision until it has to, which is why this competition is going to be so intriguing over the next few months.
McCarthy has already turned heads with his cold public comments towards Murray, so it’s clear that he understands just how important this is for his career. Many fans may be counting McCarthy out, but Thielen is right to point out that he is still young and has lots of room to grow. If he doesn’t begin to realize his potential soon, though, he could find himself out of a starting job entering the new season.
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