After two weeks of training camp this summer, the Minnesota Vikings have reportedly picked a winner in the quarterback battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday, the Vikings are reportedly moving forward with Murray as their starting quarterback.
Murray has been sharing first-team reps with McCarthy for the majority of training camp this summer, but following Tuesday's report, it seems safe to assume that the former Arizona Cardinals signal-caller will be getting all of the reps with the starting offense leading all the way up to the regular season.
Minnesota Vikings reportedly name Kyler Murray starting QB, but this doesn't mean we've seen the last of J.J. McCarthy
While Minnesota has made the starting quarterback choice that almost everyone expected them to when they first signed Murray back in March, this decision doesn't exactly mean McCarthy's time with the Vikings is nearing the end.
In Murray's last five years in the NFL, he's only been on the field for every regular-season game once, and that was in 2024. So, based on that history, there's a good chance that he's not going to be the only quarterback to get a start for Minnesota in 2026.
It's possible that McCarthy will want the Vikings to trade him elsewhere after Tuesday's news, but it might be in his best interest to stick around and just learn for a season with Minnesota.
He's already been learning the Vikings' offense for the last three years, and multiple reports coming out of training camp this summer have shared that he's shown he has a good grasp on how things are supposed to run out on the field.
What McCarthy needs to work on the most is his processing speed and his ability to throw the football at varying speeds (not 100 mph every time). These are definitely things that can be improved during the season in practice as the team's scout team quarterback.
Sticking around and fixing these weaknesses of his could be what helps him last longer in the NFL for more than just a few more years, which could be where his career goes if he gets traded to another team.
Kyler Murray now has the chance of a lifetime with the Minnesota Vikings
Now that Murray is officially expected to open up the 2026 regular season as the Vikings' starting quarterback, he has an incredible opportunity to turn his NFL career around in a similar way to what Sam Darnold just did with Minnesota in 2024.
Murray has arguably never played in an offense with as many top-notch skill players as the Vikings currently have in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, and more. And he's certainly never played behind an offensive line that has the potential to be as good as Minnesota's does in 2026.
Murray will probably be the pick by many people to be this season's NFL Comeback Player of the Year, but if everything goes as well as some think they have the potential to, he might be able to add NFL MVP to his trophy case too.
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