Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings are likely heading toward a QB competition to determine who will be the starting signal-caller for the 2026 NFL season. On one side, there will be J.J. McCarthy, and on the other, speculation is that it might be Kyler Murray.
Murray will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing end to his stint with the Arizona Cardinals. Meanwhile, McCarthy will look to prove he is Minnesota’s QB after the team drafted him 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Whether it’s Murray or someone else, NFL insider Tom Pelissero shared his thoughts on the looming quarterback battle Minnesota will face once training camp and the preseason roll around in a few months.
“Anybody who’s coming in is going to have to beat out J.J. McCarthy,”Pelissero said in a March 7 video from the “Rich Eisen Show.” “So what [the Vikings are] optimistic about is that a competitive environment is going to bring out the best in J.J.
“If you’re walking in there, whether it ends up being Kyler, whether it ends up being Geno Smith, if it’s Joe Flacco, whatever it might be, none of those are going to be financial investments that are going to preclude you if J.J. McCarthy is the better quarterback in the offseason.”
Would J.J. McCarthy Be Okay If He Loses a QB Battle?
Moreover, Pelissero notes that if McCarthy were to lose the QB battle, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for him to decide that it would be best for his development to watch from the sidelines as a backup.
“Kyler could end up being the long-term guy. If he beats out J.J. McCarthy, Kyler will be the starter. We’ll see how J.J. handles that,” Pelissero added.
“I wouldn’t think the trade market would be there, but I don’t think the trade market would be significant enough for the Minnesota Vikings to want to move on from J.J. Given the fact that J.J. has never even had a healthy season as a backup, it may not be the worst thing for development if he isn’t ready to start.”
McCarthy can learn what it takes to be a starter without feeling the pressure to be the starter on a team with playoff aspirations. Nonetheless, there’s no guarantee that whoever the Vikings bring in stays healthy, and it would be in McCarthy’s best interest to stay ready as the backup if he does lose the QB competition.
Vikings Want to Have Options at QB Position
Regardless of how the QB competition turns out, the Vikings want to avoid a repeat of last season, when McCarthywas given the starting job but, once injuries hit, they had to rely on Carson Wentz, who has a long injury history that ultimately showed itself with the Vikings. As a result, the Vikings want options.
“What they want to make sure they have this year is options, which is something that, based upon how things played out last year, they didn’t end up having,” Pelissero added. “They had to sign Carson Wentz off the street.
“[The Vikings] go to the playoffs if Carson doesn’t get hurt. They want to make sure they’ve got other options in the building and somebody through the offseason to truly push J.J. McCarthy and, they hope, bring out the best of everybody involved.”