The Minnesota Vikings claim they are having a competition for the starting job between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray this offseason. But during offseason team activities (OTAs), fans and media members have been looking for clues that the winner has already been decided.
The latest breadcrumb was unintentionally dropped by Kevin O’Connell after Thursday’s practice. When talking about McCarthy’s viral comments on the quarterback battle made a week ago, O’Connell almost referred to McCarthy as a “former captain” before quickly correcting himself and finishing his statement.
“He’s been great in the meeting room, he’s been great on the grass and as always he’s, as a former…as a captain and a guy that helps lead our team, he’s been phenomenal there as well,” O’Connell said.
While O’Connell did not directly use the phrase “former captain,” it was enough for fans to connect the dots. It also led former New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead to say exactly what Vikings fans have been thinking about their quarterback battle.
“It’s a slip, but is it?” Armstead said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Friday. “You have to vote every year, and there’s a process to it. But that…starting quarterback spot and the captain position, he’s most likely included with those five, six guys. So to have that uncertainty, to have that word slip, it’s not for nothing.”
Former Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead believes the Minnesota Vikings already know their starting QB
Armstead knows what it’s like to have a leader at quarterback. A third-round pick by the Saints in the 2013 draft, he spent eight seasons protecting Drew Brees’s blindside. When the newly minted Hall of Famer moved on, he spent a year with Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, and Taysom Hill at quarterback and had Tua Tagovailoa as his quarterback the past three seasons after he signed with the Miami Dolphins.
Tagovailoa was essentially booted from Miami this offseason, but he was also a captain for all three seasons, even as he showed a questionable demeanor last season. The locker room may love McCarthy, who has earned the endorsement of fellow 2025 captain Brian O’Neill, but that could change quickly if Murray wins the quarterback battle as expected.
Nobody really knows the true intention of O’Connell’s comments, and as Armstead noted, captains are voted on each year. But there’s enough to suggest he said the quiet part out loud.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted on Friday that McCarthy’s comments “didn’t concern” O’Connell, but he also mentioned that McCarthy’s demeanor behind the scenes was a reason why some staff members pushed for Aaron Rodgers last offseason and brought in Murray this spring.
It’s also worth noting that SI’s Albert Breer reported the Vikings pursued Murray over options because they felt he could be a multi-year solution at quarterback, which also suggests that O’Connell already knows his starting quarterback.
A former player himself, O’Connell may know that whoever the starter is will be voted a captain. And with Murray remaining a heavy favorite, O’Connell’s comments may have been more than just a slip.
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