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J.J. McCarthy has gotten the Vikings attention.

The Minnesota Vikings left minicamp without knowing their starter at quarterback after head coach Kevin O’Connell said the battle would continue into training camp.

Both Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy have been dueling it out throughout OTA’s and minicamp, but it appears that the old ball coach needs to see more. 

On Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided some insight into what the Vikings are thinking with their quarterback competition heating up. 

“The Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell are going into this with an open mind. They have tried their best to simulate this 50/50 in the spring. The way the Vikings see it is we weren’t in pads, there wasn’t a lot of hitting or contact, let’s get to camp and see how this goes. Whether he [O’Connell] lets that competition go into preseason games will be based on feel,” said Fowler.

“Most people around the league I’ve spoken to do believe that Kyler Murray will win the job.”

Fowler also noted that Minnesota is very aware of the improvements McCarthy has made.

The Vikings Quarterback Competition Still Appears Far from Over

The Vikings are certainly taking their time with the decision despite the initial perception that Murray would be handed the job fairly quickly. Fowler also added that McCarthy has fixed many of the issues that plagued him last season, and the Vikings have taken notice.

“Keep in mind with J.J. McCarthy though, the Vikings asked him to fix some things, including his ability to layer the ball, throwing at different speeds. I’m told he’s addressed that in a major way and it’s shown,” Fowler added.

Despite a 6-4 record as a starter in 2025, accuracy issues and injuries kept McCarthy from securing the starting role again in 2026 uncontested. Now with Murray in the mix, not only does McCarthy need to be better than last season, he also needs to be better than the former No. 1 overall pick in order to keep his job. 

J.J. McCarthy’s Improvement Could Be a Difference Maker 

Fowler isn’t the first to note McCarthy’s improvement, as The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted it earlier this week on the Vikings Beat Writer Roundtable discussion. 

“I would say this as far as JJ McCarthy. I do feel like there has been a level of consistency and accuracy, especially when you’re thinking like 20 yards and in throughout the five practices that we’ve been out here. And I say that because there is a lot of context missing with every one of these practices,” said Lewis. “You’d love to see him connect more down the field probably and potentially we’ll see that in training camp. But I do think just the fundamentals, the smoothness of his mechanics, that stuff has stood out and his understanding of the system I think stands out.”

So while Murray still appears to be the favorite, McCarthy has made it more of a battle than most fans initially anticipated. For McCarthy to win the competition, it would not only be good for him, but also the future of the franchise, which has been desperately searching for a young franchise quarterback for decades. 

Trevor Ripley Trevor Ripley is a Heavy writer covering the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. More about Trevor Ripley