The Minnesota Vikings have said they’re having a quarterback battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy. But while Kevin O’Connell and the rest of the coaching staff may have a strong opinion about the position, an interesting wrinkle was thrown in when the Vikings hired Nolan Teasley as their new general manager.
A longtime member of the Seattle Seahawks front office, Teasley saw Murray twice a year as he led their NFC West rival, the Arizona Cardinals, and it seemed like he was excited about the possibility of teaming up in Minnesota, according to comments made to KFXN’s Paul Allen on Monday.
“I mean, yeah, the physical talent is there. He can make all the throws. He can create off-schedule, and this is not a slight to anybody, but this offensive staff and coach O’Connell, that’s the untapped potential. He’s going to realize, I think, another level of development.”
Teasley also commended the level of competition in the quarterback room as Murray and McCarthy battle as former top 10 picks, and how both can thrive under O'Connell's guidance.
"I think it's deep. It's competitive," Teasley said. "There's a lot of talent in there. There's football experience. There's upside. And that applies to everybody because of the developers we have at that position. So, iron sharpens iron. May the best man win.
They're going to compete hard. They're going to be developed to a really high level because of Coach O'Connell and the offensive football staff."
Nolan Teasley’s praise of Kyler Murray carries weight into Minnesota Vikings QB battle
While Teasley is still learning about McCarthy, he is extremely familiar with Murray, even if the results didn’t go in the veteran’s favor.
Murray has made 11 career starts against the Seahawks, posting a 2-9 record in those games. But Murray didn’t play poorly in those games, completing 68 percent of his passes for 2,631 yards (239.2 per game) with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
With 443 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns also coming in those games, Teasley knows that Murray can be a dual threat and could reach another level under O’Connell.
While Teasley is in the honeymoon phase with O’Connell and everyone inside the TCO Performance Center, it makes a lot of sense.
O’Connell got the most out of Kirk Cousins after a few turbulent years under Mike Zimmer at the beginning of his tenure and revived Sam Darnold’s career as he guided them to a 14-win season in 2024. In between, O’Connell got the most out of Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens, but didn’t have the same success with McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer last season.
Although his experience with McCarthy has some questioning the “quarterback whisperer” label he earned earlier in his career, getting a former No. 1 overall pick in Murray may be enough to get that on the right track.
It may also be why Murray chose Minnesota and did not visit another team after his release from the Cardinals last March, and could see a path to a big contract, whether it’s in Minnesota or somewhere else.
Teasley has been pretty close to the vest since being introduced as the Vikings' GM last week, but that could be a good thing as he keeps his options open for 2027 and beyond.
If Murray plays well, Teasley sounds like someone who would consider giving him a big contract at the end of this season. But falls on Murray and O’Connell to make that vision a reality.
Add us as a preferred source on Google