Jalen Nailor, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
TheMinnesota Vikings are looking like they will have a three-way battle to determine who will be the starting QB to start the 2026 NFL season. J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray, and the newly signed Carson Wentz will look to make their case during training camp and preseason.
After having missed the playoffs during the 2025 season due to poor play from whoever was under center, Minnesota is hoping that improved play from the QB position helps them avoid this fate again in 2026.
Now, the question is, who will win this competition? Former Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who left this offseason to sign with theLas Vegas Raiders, predicted who he sees coming out as the winner in this three-way battle.
“It’s gonna be a battle, I can tell you that,”Nailor told Kay Adams on the March 19 edition of “Up & Adams.” “It’s gonna be a great QB battle. I don’t know who’s gonna come out on top.
“I’m probably rocking with my guy J.J., but you never know, man. It’s gonna bring the best out of both of them just to have that chip on their shoulder to go out there and perform like their life depends on it.”
Moreover, Nailor believes that McCarthy has what it takes to be an NFL starting QB, which will be a confidence boost for the signal-caller as he looks to retain the starting job over Murray.
“He can be the guy for sure,“ Nailor added. “I just feel like it’s a matter of him still getting those reps in game and just building on what he did this past year. Just try to have a clean, healthy season. If he has a clean, healthy season, I think he’ll be fine.”
Kyler Murray Is the Favorite to Win Vikings Starting QB Job
Moreover, Alec Lewis of The Athletic shared what he’s hearing from people around the league, with many expecting Murray to come out on top of this QB competition.
“You talk to people in the league, and they’re like, ‘It is a little silly,‘”Lewis said on the March 18 edition of “The Alec Lewis Show.”“There’s a guy who’s played seven years and thrown for 3,500 yards four times, a guy as dynamic as he is, who chose the Minnesota Vikings over other opportunities. You’re not doing that if you’re not the starting quarterback.
“It would take something beyond drastic for J.J. to come out and win the job, which isn’t a referendum on J.J. or where he is. He has shown the high-end flashes. It’s just going to be about consistency, and it will be really interesting to see what he looks like fundamentally.”
Kyler Murray Gets Blunt Minnesota Outlook
McCarthydid show promise at the end of the 2025 season, so he’s looking to carry that momentum into this competition against Murray during training camp and preseason.Nonetheless, on March 16, Kay Adams had a positive outlook on Murray, believing he will edge out McCarthy to be the Vikings’ starting QB.
“I do like it more and more and more,“Adams said on “Up & Adams.“ “It’s the kind of move that you wanted them to make last year withAaron Rodgers. They took a bit of a swing here, low risk, high reward.
“I know there’s plenty we all are demanding to see from the talented Kyler Murray, but the ceiling is, they’re going to blow the roof off this thing. We’ve seen flashes of it. We’re not absolving Kyler of responsibility for the lack of team success during his time in Arizona…
“I’m excited for a bit of a fresh start here, a roster that is built to win. Now, with that comes, and with a Coach of the Year offensive mastermind in KOC as a play caller, as a leader in this league, and a terrifying defense, there’s a lot of pressure. Kyler is not going to fly under the radar on this team.”