Vikings name Kyler Murray starting Week 1 quarterback for 2026 season
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Kurt Warner on what's next for Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy following quarterback Kyler Murray winning QB job.
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback competition lasted just two weeks into training camp.
The Vikings have named quarterback Kyler Murray their starter, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Tuesday.
ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news.
Minnesota signed Murray to a one-year contract in March following his release from Arizona. From that moment, the former No. 1 overall pick was the presumed starter over 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy, who struggled mightily last year and has experienced health issues through two pro seasons.
O'Connell told reporters that McCarthy would would be the backup QB behind Murray.
Throughout the offseason, O'Connell insisted that he was holding a true quarterback competition between Murray and McCarthy, despite few believing the latter had a legit chance at the gig. During training camp, the two split first-team reps, but Murray reportedly took the larger share, including in full-team sessions. Shutting down the position battle before the first preseason game underscores that it was always Murray's job to lose.
"Kyler will begin the process of really looking at things now as our starter," O'Connell said. "We’ll still be getting J.J. a lot of works, a lot of reps, because it’s very important that his development and on-going growth and arrow up, that we feel very positively about, continues.”
O'Connell added: "Nothing changes as far as J.J. being an incredibly important member of our quarterback room and our team."
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The news comes after Murray struggled over the weekend, according to reporters at camp. Declaring the 29-year-old the starter now allows the Vikings to give Murray all of the first-team reps and prep him for the next four-plus weeks as QB1 instead of sharing work. This development comes prior to the team's first preseason action, allowing Murray the first-team reps before Saturday's game against the New York Giants. Perhaps more importantly, this will give Murray valuable starting snaps in next week's joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens.
Over the past couple of weeks, Murray never appeared to completely pull away from McCarthy, with each flashing but also owning his share of woes. The Vikings clearly hope getting Murray additional first-team reps the rest of the way will aid his transition.
During his seven years in Arizona, Murray flashed big-play ability, making two Pro Bowls while passing for 3,700-plus yards four times and eclipsing 500 yards rushing three times. His dual-threat ability brings an added dimension to Minnesota that KOC's offense has lacked with traditional pocket passers. However, there were always going to be questions about Murray's transition into the scheme, with recent struggles resurfacing some apprehension. There were also health concerns for a quarterback who has played an entire slate of games just once in the past five seasons. Allowing the veteran to add additional reps at this stage should only help the process for both the passer and play-caller.
With McCarthy officially losing the starting gig, the question is how the 23-year-old responds. Does he keep a grip on the backup job? Or plunge below Carson Wentz on the depth chart? It's not an impossibility that the former No. 10 overall pick could be off Minnesota's roster before Week 1 if things go sideways.