Adrian Peterson is now the latest Minnesota Vikings legend to offer his thoughts on the quarterback competition.
Both Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy have been engaged in a heated battle for the job this summer, and time is winding down for the Vikings to name a starter. Peterson caught up with RotoGrinder’s Kyle Odegard and offered up his two-cents on the pair of quarterbacks.
J.J. McCarthy Still Needs to Grow According to Adrian Peterson
Peterson is one of the most decorated Vikings of all-time, and his eyes have been glued to the battle at quarterback all summer. From Peterson’s point of view, McCarthy still just has too far to go to once again handle the starting duties.
“In my eyes, based on what I’ve seen from J.J., it would definitely be a surprise,” Peterson said. “That’s not to take anything away from J.J. I feel like he’s still a young quarterback. He’s only been around two or three years and he was injured the first year. But I feel like he has a lot of growing to do.”
McCarthy has started just 10 games in his two seasons, and struggled significantly in those games. Despite a 6-4 record, he completed just 57 percent of his passes while posting a 11:12 TD:INT ratio. Although he’s likely experienced some improvement heading into year three, beating out former No. 1 overall pick Murray would be a steep hill to climb. For Peterson, he’s excited about the prospect of Murray pairing with the Vikings talented roster.
Adrian Peterson is Excited for What Kyler Murray Brings to Minnesota
The Vikings added Murray for the veteran’s minimum this offseason, and Peterson couldn’t help but imagine what it might mean for the offense.
“When I saw it going across the ticker that they were getting Kyler, I thought, ‘That’s a hell of a move right there.’ Kyler being down there in Arizona, you could see the writing was on the wall,” Peterson continued. “Whatever the reason was, I don’t know, but he’s a tremendous talent. Great agility as a quarterback and has an incredible arm. And a guy that can keep a play alive. I thought it would be a really good fit for Minnesota with the talent they have. He really could be a game-changer for them.”
While head coach Kevin O’Connell has declined to reveal a specific timeline for naming a starter, the sooner an announcement comes, the sooner the team can start giving all the reps to the winner. Murray has long been the favorite, but how much of the playbook he can absorb before the preseason will likely have a huge impact on his chances at earning the nod.
The talent has never been a question with Murray, but his ability to learn O’Connell’s complicated scheme in time for the regular season will be a contributing factor on the competition. Still, if Murray can show he’s mastered enough of the playbook, it’s easy to see why Peterson is so excited to the former first pick in purple this season.
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