Initially, J.J. McCarthy seemed to be the best choice for becoming the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback. However, the team seems to be leaning more towards Kyler Murray to fill the spot.

ESPN NFL insider Kevin Seifert detailed where things stand after Minnesota’s mandatory minicamp. He praised McCarthy for making clear progress, but explained what the league consensus suggested. 

"Most people around the league I've spoken to do believe that at the end of the day, Kyler Murray will win this job. Keep in mind with J.J. McCarthy, though, the Vikings asked him to fix some things... I'm told he's addressed that in a major way, and it has shown," Seifert said via ESPN.

Murray's case is based on a statistic. Since 2019, only three quarterbacks have more than 20,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards. They are Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray. Seifert said he could see that advantage at minicamp.

"Murray's advantage in arm talent, throwing to a difficult spot, varying the speeds and trajectories of his passes was evident," Seifert wrote.

Murray's outstanding scrambling ability went unused at the no-contact spring practices. But once training camp begins, the QB will get opportunities to showcase all his skills.

Moreover, McCarthy is still young and inexperienced, which might make Murray's veteran experience more valuable to the Vikings, per Seifert.

New Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley neither drafted McCarthy nor signed Murray and isn't biased toward either. Head coach Kevin O'Connell is also keeping "an open mind".

But that decision will impact the QB position for Minnesota.

Vikings QB Competition Could Decide NFC North Race

Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report reviewed the biggest training camp storylines for every NFL division. He believes the Vikings’ quarterback battle has direct consequences for the entire NFC North.

"The Vikings are in the middle of a quarterback competition involving 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy and offseason addition Kyler Murray. All signs point to the competition lasting well into training camp... If he does and can return to Pro Bowl form, Minnesota will be right back in the thick of the NFC North race," Knox wrote.

According to Knox's analysis, the status of the quarterbacks competing ahead of camp could impact Minnesota in the postseason.

The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2025 season at 9-8, missing the playoffs. But given the current team’s talent, it’s simply not justifiable for that to happen again.

Hopefully, Minnesota will have an answer before the preseason begins.

Do you think Kyler Murray will become the Minnesota Vikings' new starting quarterback? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit