Last week, NFL Media's Tom Pelissero raised multiple eyebrows by just mentioning the possibility of the Minnesota Vikings even thinking about trading quarterback J.J. McCarthy this year. Now, Pelissero has added some new details about when he believes Minnesota's quarterback competition between McCarthy and Kyler Murray could get closer to the end.
In an interview with Vikings.com's Tatum Everett on Tuesday, the national NFL insider shared that the Vikings' intriguing signal-caller battle could begin crossing the finish line as early as the end of this week.
"I don't anticipate [the QB competition] is going to take the full preseason to sort out. I think they'll walk off the field at the end of this week with a pretty good idea [about who will win the job]."
Minnesota Vikings QB competition possibly nearing the end
When Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell first mentioned the idea of a competition between McCarthy and Murray earlier this year, some thought it would be a battle that lasted through this summer's training camp.
But based on what Pelissero shared in his interview with Vikings.com, O'Connell and the Vikings will likely enter training camp with either McCarthy or Murray getting the majority of the reps with the first-team offense, rather than split them up between the two like they've done in OTAs.
If this ends up being the case, it seems pretty safe to assume Murray will be the one to enter camp as Minnesota's QB1 over McCarthy.
Recent reports have shared that the Vikings' third-year quarterback has shown signs of improvement this spring. But it's also been made clear that McCarthy's performance on the practice field during the last few weeks likely won't do much to prevent Minnesota from entering the 2026 season with the much more experienced Murray starting under center.
It's definitely going to be a challenge for McCarthy to handle a backup role after starting last year and O'Connell declaring him the Vikings' franchise quarterback when he was only a rookie.
But based on Murray's track record of not remaining healthy for an entire season, there is a very good chance McCarthy is going to get an opportunity or several to start for Minnesota in 2026. If that happens, then it will be up to him to prove that he's still the quarterback who gives the Vikings the best chance to succeed over the next few years.
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