The Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason, hoping the added competition would either light a spark under J.J. McCarthy or at the very least offer a better alternative to the former first-round pick. Thus far in Vikings training camp, things don’t seem to be going in the direction the franchise hoped.
ESPN‘s Kevin Seifert reported this past week that there’s strong indications in Minnesota that Murray “remains the heavy favorite” to be the Vikings starting quarterback in Week 1. However, that may be an indictment on McCarthy’s woes in practice versus what Murray is showing on the practice field.
In his early Vikings 53-man roster projection, Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote that one of the reasons the coaching staff is giving Murray a majority of the first-team reps with the offense is so he can build chemistry with his teammates and the organization can track his progress. However, his work thus far “has not been perfect by any stretch”, as evidenced by his latest performance on Sunday night in a scrimmage. Murray threw two interceptions during an 11-on-11 period in front of fans, including an abysmal throw that never should’ve been made.
Last week on the Purple Insider Podcast, as highlighted by Minnesota Sports Fan, Matthew Coller said that the 2026 Vikings training camp is the “worst” in McCarthy’s NFL career and others he has spoken with have shared that opinion.
“You know, just asking around, are other people seeing what I’m seeing? Do we think that this has looked worse for JJ McCarthy than either of his last two camps? And the answer I’ve gotten from everybody is pretty much yes.”
Matthew Coller on the Pruple Insider podcast on Minnesota Vikings QB JJ McCarthy (via Minnesota Sports Fan)
It seems based on Lewis’ latest reporting that McCarthy has strung together a few performances on the practice field as of late, including on Sunday, that stood out less than what Murray put on display. However, inconsistency remains a massive issue for the third-year quarterback with his low points seemingly at times putting him in jeopardy of falling behind Carson Wentz on the depth chart.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has still been giving Murray a lot of first-team reps with the hope that the veteran quarterback keeps progressing and runs away with the starting job. He’s been unable to do that, leaving the door open for McCarthy in this quarterback competition only for the former first-round pick to struggle to take advantage of it.
Murray and McCarthy will have three preseason games and all of August to prove why they should be the Vikings’ starting quarterback in 2026. Given how things have unfolded this summer, it feels safe to predict both of them will make starts this fall and that would be a further sign of just how bad things are going to be this season in Minnesota’s quarterback room.