Matt Johnson
The Minnesota Vikings added to their quarterback room this offseason with the signing of Kyler Murray, bringing in legitimate competition for J.J. McCarthy. With summer practices approaching, there’s some new intel on the looming competition.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported this past week on The Rich Eisen Show that the Vikings’ quarterback competition will be an open battle between McCarthy and Murray.
Related: Vikings Rookie May Have Revealed Hint About All-Pro
“They envision it being a true competition: Kyler Murray versus J.J. McCarthy and both these guys are going to go into this believing they’re gonna win this job. I don’t know frankly how friendly that quarterback room is going to be. It’s going to be a very competitive quarterback room.”
Tom Pelissero on the Minnesota Vikings starting QB battle
McCarthy does have a few factors working in his favor. First, as a 2024 first-round pick who the team traded up for, the organization has more investment in the young signal-caller. Furthermore, the third-year quarterback also has much more familiarity with Kevin O’Connell’s system.
It’s no surprise that O’Connell is having a “wide open” competition, with the Vikings coaching staff likely wanting to give their former top pick a shot. However, it does seem like there’ll be a clear winner.
Related: Vikings Believe They Got Offseason Steal
Who Will Be the Vikings Starting QB?
Murray, who turns 29 in August, last made the Pro Bowl in 2021 with the Arizona Cardinals. He was also effectively benched last season in favor of Jacoby Brissett.
However, he’s still an effective starting quarterback. In his last full season as a starter, he posted a 93.5 QB rating with a 21-11 TD-INT ratio, completing 68.8 percent of his passes with 3,851 passing yards. He also rated as an above-average starter in advanced metrics, including EPA per Play.
Meanwhile, McCarthy is coming off a season where he completed just 57.6% of his pass attempts and he had one of the highest interception rates (4.9%) in the NFL. Barring massive improvements from him, Murray is the overwhelming favorite to be the Vikings starting quarterback in Week 1.
