The Minnesota Vikings quarterback competition lasted just two weeks into training camp
The Vikings have named quarterback Kyler Murray their starter, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Tuesday
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news
Minnesota signed Murray to a one-year contract in March following his release from Arizona. From that moment, the former No. 1 overall pick was the presumed starter over 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy, who struggled mightily last year and has experienced health issues through two pro seasons
O’Connell told reporters that McCarthy would would be the backup QB behind Murray
Throughout the offseason, O’Connell insisted that he was holding a true quarterback competition between Murray and McCarthy, despite few believing the latter had a legit chance at the gig. During training camp, the two split first-team reps, but Murray reportedly took the larger share, including in full-team sessions. Shutting down the position battle before the first preseason game underscores that it was always Murray’s job to lose
“Kyler will begin the process of really looking at things now as our starter,” O’Connell said. “We’ll still be getting J.J. a lot of works, a lot of reps, because it’s very important that his development and on-going growth and arrow up, that we feel very positively about, continues.”
O’Connell added: “Nothing changes as far as J.J. being an incredibly important member of our quarterback room and our team.”
