The Minnesota Vikings named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback on August 12. Before that point, he and third-year QB J.J. McCarthy battled for the job.
Meanwhile, veteran signal-caller Carson Wentz didn’t get any first-team reps throughout training camp. Nevertheless, his experience (and McCarthy’s lack of command) led to him being named the backup quarterback to open the season. He would be the next man up if Murray went down.
Nobody expected they’d be forced to lean on Wentz as early as midway through the first quarter of the season opener. However, that’s the position they found themselves in after Murray suffered a concussion on a brutal hit while sliding.
Despite not receiving much time with the first-team offense in training camp, Wentz held his own against the Packers. He completed 12 of 19 attempts for 133 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. The yardage total doesn’t exactly pop off the page, but the TD-to-completion ratio certainly does. As does the fact that they scored 29 unanswered points (largely with the help of their suffocating and opportunistic defense).
Kyler Murray’s status for Sunday’s game against Chicago is currently up in the air as he works through concussion protocol. Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio believes that could open the door for Wentz to run away with the starting job going forward.
“If Wentz keeps playing well, if Wentz keeps throwing the ball to 18 [Justin Jefferson], if the Vikings keep winning, and this is the ultimate litmus test, if you go to Chicago and win against the team that put up 59 last week, [expletive] yeah you let it ride while the hand is hot,” Florio said.
The Nature Of The Game Could Decide Carson Wentz’s Fate
Florio’s co-host on PFT, Chris Simms, echoed a similar sentiment. He thinks Wentz has a chance to be their starter the rest of the way. However, he believes the nature of the game, regardless of the outcome, will decide whether he can hold onto the job.
“If they struggle on offense and still win, then okay, Kyler Murray is going to go back [to the starting lineup], but if we get into a shootout and Carson Wentz is hanging in there with Caleb Williams, then you’re right, there’s going to be stuff to talk about.”
He later also hinted that Wentz might be the better fit for O’Connell’s offense.
“This guy’s big. He can stand in the pocket and make big throws down the field,” Simms said. “Compared to Kyler Murray, that’s going to be what we’re all waiting to see. Is Kyler Murray going to be willing to hang in the pocket and go, I’ve got to pat the ball one more time because Justin Jefferson is about to come open for a 30-yard gain? Or is he going to get out of there and run? If he does that, then he’s going to drive Kevin O’Connell and Justin Jefferson crazy.”
Kyler Murray Is Only Signed To A One-Year Contract
This isn’t a situation where the Vikings are obligated to go back to Murray after locking him into a multi-year deal. Like Wentz, he’ll become a free agent after the 2026 NFL season.
While he definitely has more upside than Wentz at this point in his career, they’ve already proven that they can rally behind Wentz. If that continues on Sunday, then it would be tough to automatically go back to Murray when he’s still a complete unknown in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
It’s also worth noting that Murray and Wentz wouldn’t be in the same stratosphere in terms of the contract they’ll sign next offseason if they perform well in Minnesota this year. Murray could be looking at a deal anywhere from $35-45 million, while Wentz probably wouldn’t be more valuable to any other roster than he would to the Vikings in his seventh career stop at the age of 34. He won’t make any more than $10 million regardless of how this season goes.
Wentz obviously won’t be the Vikings’ long-term quarterback, but he could be a quality (and extremely cost-effective) stopgap option if they opted to move forward with him.
Analysts Hint That Carson Wentz Could Hold Onto Vikings Starting QB Job