Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings
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Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings looks on against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter in the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings are fresh off of signing Kyler Murray to a one-year contract, but still have 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy on the roster as well.
While the overwhelming expectation has been that Murray will end up being the starter in 2026, McCarthy isn’t going to go down without a fight. The Vikings are likely setting up an open quarterback competition to get the best out of both signal callers.
McCarthy is coming off of a rough all-around 2025 season. After missing his entire rookie campaign due to a knee injury, the former Michigan standout struggled to stay healthy again in year two. When he did play, he struggled quiet a bit.
Murray, on the other hand, hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals decided to move on from him this offseason.
With an open quarterback debate brewing, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter has weighed in with a new update on the situation.
Adam Schefter Reveals More Details About Vikings’ QB Situation
On Tuesday, Schefter made it clear that the quarterback job in Minnesota is still very much open. Neither Murray or McCarthy has been given any promise about the role.
“In Minnesota, I do think that’s fairly wide open,” Schefter said.
“I know there’s this feeling across the league that it’s going to be Kyler’s job. Like, after he signed, everybody was like, ‘Kyler doesn’t go there unless he’s starting.’ And everybody thinks he’s starting. All I’m saying is, I’m not ready to write off J.J. McCarthy yet. Let’s see how he shows up. Let’s see how he plays.”
Schefter’s words hint that he believes Murray will win the starting job. However, he’s not 100 percent confident and won’t say McCarthy can’t win the job until a final decision is made by head coach Kevin O’Connell.
What Each Quarterback Brings to the Table for the Vikings
Starting with McCarthy, the 2025 season was a rollercoaster. He played in 10 games for the Vikings, completing just 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy did chip in with 181 yards and four scores on the ground.
Those numbers aren’t horrible for a first-year starter seeing his first NFL playing time, but Minnesota was nowhere close to being a contender.
Murray, on the other hand, has shown flashes of star potential throughout his NFL career with the Cardinals. He only played in five games last season.
Back in 2024, the 28-year-old quarterback threw for 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, while completing 68.8 percent of his pass attempts. He also ran for 572 yards and five touchdowns.
There is a good chance that the Vikings hold on to both quarterbacks for the 2026 season. At this point in time, the Week 1 starter is unknown and both players will enter training camp and preseason action gunning for the job.