Rookie J.J. McCarthy appears to have an early advantage over veteran Kyler Murray in the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback competition, according to ESPN analyst Benjamin Solak.
Despite speculation that Murray, a former top draft pick, would be the favorite, Solak noted that McCarthy has demonstrated a better understanding of head coach Kevin O’Connell's system through the first two days of training camp. Murray is reportedly still working to adapt to the offense.
"It’s not perfect, we’re ironing out a lot of wrinkles out here, especially for Kyler Murray, who’s learning a new offense; he’s never really played in the Sean McVay-Kevin O’Connell system before," Solak said. "So, there were misses. And the sort of misses are because he’s learning the offense."
Solak pointed to instances where Murray and receiver Jordan Addison had disagreements on route execution, highlighting the learning curve. He added that Murray receives only 50% of the first-team repetitions because McCarthy is also working with the starters.
Mccarthy, who missed his entire rookie season in 2024 due to injury, has looked more comfortable in his second year. "McCarthy looks better frankly because he’s been in this offense before," Solak explained. "He’s thrown to these receivers before. He has a better understanding and handle on the system. And that’s why this is a legitimate quarterback competition, because Kyler needs to get up to speed, that is a process that will take a couple of weeks. And then we’ll see if and when the Vikings are ready to name a starting quarterback for Week 1."
This early lead for McCarthy is unexpected, especially after former Vikings receiver Adam Thielen suggested on ESPN that the starting job should be Murray's to lose. O’Connell has stated that both quarterbacks will split first and second-team reps to facilitate a thorough evaluation.
Murray signed with the Vikings in March on a one-year, veteran-minimum contract. During his seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, he threw 121 touchdowns and ran for 32 more, leading the team to the playoffs in 2021. Despite his statistics, the Cardinals did not re-sign him as their long-term franchise quarterback due to inconsistencies.
Mccarthy, selected 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, had an inconsistent first full season in 2025. He posted a 6-4 record as a starter but threw 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
