The Minnesota Vikings‘ QB competition will be the dominating storyline heading into training camp. J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray are battling to be the team’s starter. Despite this battle being in its early stages, with OTAs and mandatory minicamp now over, one former player believes the competition is over.
After a challenging 2025 NFL season with their QB play, Minnesota wants to avoid missing the playoffs due to the performance of whoever is under center. As a result, when the Arizona Cardinals cut ties with Murray, it was no surprise the Vikings went after the player.
On the June 19 appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show,” former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas stated that the Vikings already know that Murray is the starter and McCarthy is their backup.
“The Vikings spent a first-round draft choice on J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback,” Thomas said. “They were going to give him every opportunity to win that starting job. You basically give the starting job to that rookie quarterback when you take him in the first round.
“When you go out and get somebody and spend the type of resources they did to bring in Kyler Murray, he is your starter. You’re doing that because the important receivers and players you’re counting on to make plays provided by the quarterback are the guys that don’t trust J.J., and that’s why you make the switch.
“If you look at that situation, J.J., I think, will firmly be planted as the backup. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a chance to continue to develop and win the job at some point down the line. But right now, it’s clearly Kyler Murray’s job.”
Joe Thomas Excited to See Kyler Murray With the Vikings
If Murray does win the starting job, it will be up to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell to bring out the potential that the former No. 1 pick has, because there were times when even Thomas saw the ex-Cardinals QB as an MVP candidate.
“He’s had really, really awesome stretches where he played as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL,” Thomas added. Kevin O’Connell, being one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, is licking his chops to be able to build an offense around Kyler to see if he can unlock that talent that he’s played with and up to at certain long stretches during his career.
“And then with Kevin O’Connell, who’s one of the calmest coaches in the NFL, to be able to use that calm demeanor that he has to teach consistency and process with Kyler so that those rough stretches are eliminated and smoothed out.”
Former NFL Player Not Buying Kyler Murray Hype
While Thomas is excited to see what Murray does in Minnesota, another former player isn’t buying the hype around the QB, which might bode well for McCarthy. Should McCarthy be QB2, that doesn’t mean he won’t see the field at any point and if he gets an opportunity then it’s up to him to make the most of it.
In the June 9 edition of “Speakeasy,“ former NFL running back LeSean McCoy shared a brutal message aimed at people who believe that the former can still be an impact player who can lead Minnesota to a championship.
“I love a super confident, arrogant player that’s good,“ McCoy said. “But you know what I hate? I hate a super cocky, arrogant player that’s not that good, that’s a little above average. That is Kyler Murray. As long as I’ve been watching, when you watch Kyler Murray, yo, he goes, he gets so bad where he starts, you know what, I’ve been great in high school, I’ve been great.
“What have you done for us lately? Because you’ve had some good wide receivers. You had some, and they still trying to figure out what the hell you are doing. They say, ‘One, what are you looking at?‘ So when he came to Minnesota, I keep saying like, ‘Why is everybody acting like he’s about to save the day?'”
J.J. McCarthy Gets Blunt Reality Check on Vikings QB Battle