Kyler Murray’s Rough Practices Haven’t Cost Him the Vikings’ Starting Job — Yet
Kyler Murray walked into Vikings training camp as the presumed Week 1 starter. He’s leaving this stretch of practices with some cracks showing.
Minnesota’s quarterback competition between Murray and J.J. McCarthy has run for more than a week now, and the picture shifted slightly after Murray struggled against Brian Flores’ defense in back-to-back sessions. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, who has covered the Vikings for nearly two decades, updated his read on the battle after those practices.
“Since posting this on Friday, Kyler Murray has had a couple of tough practices against the Brian Flores defense. I don’t know that J.J. McCarthy has done enough to overtake him. But we can’t say that Murray has just run away with it,” Seifert wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Aug. 9.
That’s a notable walk-back. Days earlier, Seifert reported for ESPN that Murray had taken roughly two-thirds of first-team reps in 11-on-11 drills through the first seven practices of camp, calling him the “heavy favorite” for the job even as Minnesota kept splitting snaps publicly.
McCarthy’s Flashes Aren’t Translating to Consistency
McCarthy has had his moments. He’s just not stacking them.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, who has covered the Vikings for more than four years, broke down where McCarthy stands right now. “McCarthy outperformed Murray on Sunday and on other days. But his consistency — and the efficiency of the offense — still appear to be a work in progress,” Lewis wrote.
Lewis added that head coach Kevin O’Connell hasn’t said whether Murray or McCarthy will play in Minnesota’s preseason opener. The coaching staff’s real challenge, per Lewis, is figuring out a starter soon enough for the first-team offense to build rhythm together — even with outside observers split on who’s actually playing better.
Monday’s practice underscored the muddle. Both quarterbacks came up empty on a two-minute drill at the end of the session, according to the Star Tribune’s camp coverage, with neither offense finding the end zone against Flores’ unit.
Why This Still Points Toward Murray
The snap counts tell the real story here, not the practice-by-practice noise. Minnesota brought in Murray on a one-year, prove-it deal this offseason specifically because McCarthy’s rookie season was rocky — he completed 57.6% of his passes with an 11-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio across 2025. That kind of contract, paired with the volume of first-team reps Murray has already banked, doesn’t usually go to a bridge option.
McCarthy still gets a real runway. O’Connell has resisted naming a starter, and the Vikings’ first preseason game — Aug. 16 against Baltimore — is the next real evaluation point. But a coaching staff that wanted this decided quickly would’ve had less incentive to keep rotating first-team reps as deep into camp as they have.
What Happens to the Loser
Whoever doesn’t win the job faces an uncertain path. McCarthy, taken 10th overall in the 2024 draft, could become a trade candidate if Murray locks down the starting role — though nothing on that front is confirmed, and it remains speculation from outside analysts rather than anything reported by the team. Murray, on his one-year deal, would hit free agency again next spring if he loses out.
For now, both quarterbacks keep taking reps in Eagan, with the preseason opener against the Ravens set to be the first live test of everything camp has shown so far.
