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The Minnesota Vikings still haven’t picked a starting quarterback, and it’s not going to happen overnight.
Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy will both take first-team reps once training camp gets going in Eagan. Head coach Kevin O’Connell sat down with each guy individually this week when they showed up to camp, laying out exactly how he plans to handle snap distribution and, eventually, how he’ll settle on a Week 1 starter.
He’s got a timeline in mind. He’s just not sharing it.
“I told the quarterbacks: ‘We don’t need to make this 50-50,’” O’Connell said Tuesday during his opening camp press conference. “I know we’ll be thorough. I know both guys will feel like they’ve gotten an opportunity to compete.”
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell on QB competition between Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy: "Both Kyler & J.J. will take reps with the first team. They’ll also take reps with the second group & I think that gives different layers to the evaluation as well.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) July 28, 2026
"We want an elevator." pic.twitter.com/Q8qfuKEh7P
How the reps will actually break down
Don’t expect an even split to last long. O’Connell says Murray and McCarthy will get roughly the same number of first-team reps early on, but that’ll shift depending on how camp is structured – and what Brian Flores, the team’s defensive coordinator, decides to throw at them on any given day.
Maybe McCarthy hasn’t shown enough on third-down situations yet, so he gets extra work there. Maybe Murray needs more red-zone snaps the next day. It’s fluid, and O’Connell wants it that way.
There’s also the second-team angle to consider.
Both quarterbacks will run with backups too, which matters because it puts them in front of less talent around them. O’Connell wants to see how each guy handles adversity – blown blocks, dropped passes, that sort of thing – not just when things are clean with the starters.
“Both Kyler and J.J. will take reps with the first team,” O’Connell said. “They’ll also take reps with the second group and I think that gives different layers to the evaluation as well.”
Two very different resumes
Murray brings the kind of track record you’d expect from a former first overall pick. Arizona took him in 2019, and he spent seven seasons there before getting released this offseason. In that stretch, he completed 67.1% of his passes for 20,460 yards, tossed 121 touchdowns against 60 interceptions, and added another 3,193 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns on the ground.
Last season wasn’t kind to him, though. Murray played in just five games, throwing six touchdowns to three picks before his year ended early. Minnesota signed him to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million – a modest number, but Arizona is still paying out the bulk of his old contract, which helps explain the cheap price tag.
Through his time with the Cardinals, Murray finished with a 38-48-1 record as a starter.
McCarthy’s story looks completely different.
Minnesota drafted him 10th overall in 2024, but his rookie season never really started – he tore his meniscus during his preseason debut and missed the entire year. He got his shot in 2025, battling through more injuries around him to start 10 games. He completed 57.6% of his throws for 1,632 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Vikings went 6-4 in those starts, which isn’t a bad floor for a young quarterback working through his first real action.
So that’s the competition: a proven veteran trying to prove he’s still got it, against a former top-10 pick who’s barely had the chance to show what he can do.
Minnesota opens its season at home against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 13, and by then, O’Connell will need an answer.
