Kevin O'Connell at Minnesota Vikings practice
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of things to get figured out when they arrive for training camp later this month.
But No. 1 on head coach Kevin O’Connell’s priority list — and the No. 1 storyline guaranteed to dominate headlines every single day until it is settled — is the quarterback battle.
Is it really a “battle”, though? That’s a legitimate question. Even after Kevin O’Connell swore up and down throughout the summer that Minnesota’s QB competition is legitimate, skepticism continues to run rampant.
We all watched JJ McCarthy play quarterback last season. It wasn’t pretty.
— Thomas Sullivan (@Yfz84) November 25, 2025
So while Kyler Murray may not be Hall of Fame bound with his current trajectory, he’s already proven he can have actual success in the league. That competency alone makes it hard to believe McCarthy stands any real shot against him when training camp begins.
Minnesota Vikings QB battle far from over…?
But not so fast, says Ian Rapoport. On NFL Network Monday, the longtime NFL insider reported that the Minnesota Vikings quarterback battle is FAR from over.
How far? Rapoport said that he expects the competition to last through camp, through the preseason, and right up until the Vikings begin their regular season at home against the Green Bay Packers.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: A look at a few key pre-training camp storylines, focusing on the #AZCardinals and the #Vikings. pic.twitter.com/umbyWxFeEj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 20, 2026
“For the Minnesota Vikings, no doubt one of the biggest storylines of all of training camp [is their quarterback battle]. Is it Kyler Murray, is it JJ McCarthy? That is going to be going on throughout camp, through the preseason games, and right up to the start of the season. Obviously, it has wide-ranging ramifications for the organization. But who ends up being their starter will go a long way in determining just how well these Minnesota Vikings end up doing”
Ian Rapoport
Last season, JJ McCarthy put up one of the worst quarterback seasons in Minnesota Vikings history, completing just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His QB rating was an abysmal 72.6, his QBR and even more depressing 35.6.
I have not given up on McCarthy, who’s still just 23 years old, as someday becoming a competent NFL quarterback. And once he does figure things out a little bit, who knows where his ceiling is. But those weren’t the reports we were hearing during summer workouts or mandatory minicamp.
What in the world could Rapoport be hearing from his sources…?
With that being said, he would need the greatest one-year turnaround in QB history — both on and off the field — just to have a chance against Kyler Murray, even if we don’t get the best version, as he learns a new system.
Even at his worst, the soon-to-be 29-year-old Murray has carried a 2:1 TD:INT ratio every year of his career, other than his rookie season, when he threw 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Seriously, some of these reports have me questioning my sanity.
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023
Related: NFL Loses Yet Another Appeal vs MN Vikings DC
His last full season (2024), Kyler Murray threw for 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with the Arizona Cardinals. He also rushed for 572 yards and another 5 TDs.
If McCarthy had put up anywhere near those passing numbers last season, he would already be hailed as Minnesota’s QB of the future.
That’s why one of the league’s biggest insiders suddenly reporting on how the battle between JJ and Kyler is expected to go deep into camp… isn’t just weird. I’d argue it’s downright shocking, to be frank.
Mentioned in this article: J.J. McCarthy Kyler Murray NFL Preseason Training Camp
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