Andrew Buller-Russ
The Minnesota Vikings want everyone (especially Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy) to believe there’s a true starting quarterback competition brewing in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Yet, most would argue that from the moment Murray chose the Vikings over several other suitors, the QB1 job was his to lose.
After all, while Murray is coming off a down season that saw him play just five games, he’s at least shown the ability to sustain high-level QB play over the course of a full season. Actually, as a two-time Pro Bowler, he’s done it twice. McCarthy hasn’t even played more than 10 games in a season.
Publicly, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has done his very best to fuel the competition by not being overcommitted to either QB, yet the fifth-year head coach might have just tipped his hand too far.
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Coach O’Connell Talks Like Kyler Murray’s Already Won Vikings’ QB Job
Between Murray and McCarthy, the Vikings want each QB to get a fair shot to win over the locker room. Yet, eventually, the decision will essentially make itself, especially if one player shows that he’s clearly better than the other. Based on the last time Murray and McCarthy were in a live NFL game, the former No. 1 overall pick may still have a long leg up on the competition.
Recently, O’Connell sat down with DJ Siddiqi of Ratings ahead of the coach’s participation in the American Century Championship. In doing so, the way coach O’Connell spoke about Murray, a seven-year veteran, was quite interesting.
“But at the same time, guys we’ve had a lot of success with different veteran quarterbacks at different stages of their career, whether it was Sam Darnold or Kirk Cousins, and now we want to do everything we can to provide Kyler Murray with a great opportunity and see what he can do with it,” said O’Connell of Murray.
Kevin O’Connell on Vikings’ Kyler Murray
By comparing the 28-year-old Murray to players such as Darnold, it can’t help but make one wonder if they’re already expecting the free agent signee to fill the starting role. Based on Murray’s track record, believing he has the inside track shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it may come as one to a 23-year-old McCarthy, who’s hoping to buy as much time as possible before the Vikings make their decision.
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