The Minnesota Vikings have got a full blown quarterback competition on their hands.
Whilst positional head-to-heads are normally reserved for training camp; OTAs tend to focus more on installation than individual technique and inter-player competition.
But given the never-ending noise about the topic in the media, it at least feels like the battle between the two is now upon us, and the scrutiny of each player’s performance even at this early stage of the offseason will be looked at as a possible indication of things to come.
It is no surprise that many believe that incumbent starter J.J. McCarthy was less than thrilled with the addition of seven-year starter and former first overall pick Kyler Murray this past March, and the 23-year old’s words on the topic have hardly implied otherwise.
However, a new report from Jason LaCanfora quoted an anonymous general manager in the NFL, who believes that the former National Champion wants to leave the Vikings after they made the change to the quarterback room.
“I think he wants out of there,” LaCanfora quotes the general manager as saying, in response to McCarthy’s remarks concerning his relationship with Murray last week.
“I think he’s wanted out of there since they signed Murray. Those personalities are not going to be a good fit.”
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Kyler Murray is currently viewed as the overwhelming favorite to win the quarterback battle during training camp, at least initially.
The betting markets give Murray around a 90% chance of being the Week 1 starter, although Murray’s performance past the mid-point of the season has historically worsened – some have postulated a distinct correlation with the release of new video games and Murray’s decline in on-the-field showings.
So it is not implausible that Murray starts the year, and if he starts putting up bad performances McCarthy could be thrust back into the starting lineup.
Whilst the general manager who draft McCarthy, Kwesi-Adofo-Mensah, is no longer with the organization, the franchise still has a vested interest in seeing McCarthy succeed. After all, he has three years left – if the team picks up the fifth year option – on his cheap rookie deal, and is still only 23 years of age.
Murray, on the other hand is only on a one-year deal, having been released by the Arizona Cardinals earlier in the offseason, and if he shows out this season will no doubt require a very expensive extension in 2027.
At the end of the day, performance is the only thing that really and truly matters. McCarthy’s time is not done with the Vikings yet, but if the two-time Pro Bowler is putting on a show early on in the year with no implication of slowing down, trade noise will start to ramp up pretty quickly.
Report: J.J. McCarthy ‘Wants Out’ of Minnesota After Kyler Murray Arrival, Per GM