Minnesota Vikings new starting quarterback Kyler Murray had plenty to say after winning the QB1 position following a weeks-long battle with former first-round pick JJ McCarthy.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced the quarterback hierarchy during a media session on Tuesday, August 11. Murray spoke with reporters himself later in the day after the team’s practice.
“I didn’t expect to be handed the job or anything like that. I just expected to come here and compete,” Murray said, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. “I’m very appreciative of how it was handled.”
“I take this job with great pride,” Murray added. “There’s been a lot of great quarterback play here in the past, and I hope I continue to carry that tradition.”
Vikings Envision Higher Ceiling With Kyler Murray Than JJ McCarthy
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
O’Connell explained that Murray’s workouts, even while sometimes rocky, provided the coach/offensive schemer with a vision of what the unit could look like this year that was simply higher than what he could see with McCarthy under center — at least at this point.
“There’s moments in time where you know there’s comfort from Kyler in the scheme. He had some really high completion days where he was able to show some really, really good understanding of just putting the ball in play, playing with great timing, rhythm,” O’Connell explained.
“You guys have seen him be explosive when there’s opportunities there, but you’ve also seen him check the ball down and put the ball in play and get us from a 1st-and-10 to a 2nd-and-3,” O’Connell continued. “And then, as you continued to look at the body of work through those 10 days, what jumped out is what could be.”
JJ McCarthy to Remain Member of Vikings, at Least for Immediate Future
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
As for McCarthy, O’Connell said the team’s intention is to keep him in-house for his third NFL season. That presumably means the 23-year-old will open Week 1 as the backup quarterback, while Carson Wentz will start the campaign as QB3.
Trade chatter surrounding McCarthy began immediately on social media following news of O’Connell’s decision, though McCarthy’s value is probably at an all-time low after just 10 starts last season and four injuries across two years that have cost the QB every other chance to play.
Some teams could make sense as trade suitors for McCarthy now, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams and other outfits that employ older QBs who could either move on to a different organization or retire in 2027 (or soon after).
That said, Minnesota can probably get a higher draft asset in return for McCarthy by waiting for an inevitable QB injury elsewhere in the league and negotiating from a position of greater strength.
“The immediate temporary result wasn’t exactly what he wanted,” O’Connell said of McCarthy on Tuesday. “I know he’s gonna be ready to go, continue to improve. The longterm mindset of him as a Minnesota Viking and all the things he’s brought here is still absolutely part of the longterm vision, for sure. I’m excited to see him go do that, and get to do it with him.”
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