The Minnesota Vikings will be playing their first preseason game on Aug. 16 against the Baltimore Ravens. It will be the first major test for Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy in the quarterback battle to see if they can translate what they’ve done in practice to a live game.
For now, it’s been in practice where McCarthy and Murray are trying to establish themselves as the favorite to win the competition. Nonetheless, during an Aug. 5 appearance on “Wake Up Barstool,” The Athletic’s Alec Lewis shared his take on where the QB competition stands.
“Battle would not be the word that I personally would use,” Lewis said. “I’ve covered this team for more than four years now, and I’ve watched the arc of how the quarterback position got to this point.
“When the team signed Kyler Murray this spring, it was pretty clear at the time that he would be the overwhelming favorite to start the 2026 season unless J.J. McCarthy drastically improved, developed and showed that every day. Through six practices, there has been nothing that I’ve seen that would shift me from that perspective based on covering this team and being out there.”
Last season with the Vikings, McCarthy had 310 pass snaps, leading to a 61.8 overall PFF grade. He also threw for 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, while recording 19 big-time throws and 15 turnover-worthy plays.
Kyler Murray Losing Vikings QB Battle Would Be Surprising
Nonetheless, Murray is seen by many as the favorite to win the competition, and Lewis’ remarks only add fuel to that fire. Recently, one of the national NFL media pundits who sees the former Arizona Cardinals QB winning the competition is FOX Sports’ Danny Parkins.
Parkins also made it clear that he doesn’t see McCarthy winning the battle and noted a more likely outcome for the Vikings signal-caller.
“I will be floored if Kyler Murray is not the Week 1 starter, and I actually think it’s more likely that J.J. McCarthy gets traded than that he’s the Week 1 starter,” Parkins said on the July 30 edition of “First Things First.” “They signed Carson Wentz. Carson Wentz is a legitimate backup quarterback in this league.
“I know they didn’t give [Murray] the job, and I know he chose to go there believing he could beat out J.J. McCarthy. Then, if you get there, you’ve got a Brian Flores defense, you’ve got Jordan Addison, you’ve got Justin Jefferson, and you have all of that talent.
“You get to play in a dome and have all of those advantages. But Kyler Murray could have gone to the Dolphins. He could have gone to the Jets. He could have gone to a place where there wasn’t a competition and just been the starting quarterback.”
Adam Thielen Gets Blunt on Minnesota’s QB Battle
Furthermore, another person who stated that this competition is Murray’s to lose is former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen, who recently shared his thoughts on the competition during a July 27 appearance on “NFL Live.”
“I think it’s Kyler Murray’s job right now,“ Thielen said. “But if J.J. McCarthy comes in and shows what he wasn’t doing well last year, he could win that job. First of all, when you see J.J. in person and you’re around him, you want to be around him.
“He’s a great leader [and] fun to be around. He’s just a guy that everyone loves. At the end of the day, they drafted him in the first round, and they want him to have success. So if he comes in and shows it, he could win that job. But right now, it’s Kyler’s job.”
J.J. McCarthy Receives Alarming Take Amid Vikings QB Battle