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The Minnesota Vikings say they are having a QB battle to determine the Week 1 starter. However, many expect former Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray to win the job over J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz.

Murray is coming off a 2025 NFL season that was cut short due to injury, and he’s now looking for a fresh start in Minnesota after the Cardinals cut ties with him this offseason.

Now with the Vikings, both the player and the team need this partnership to succeed. On the April 22 edition of “The Stinkin Truth Podcast with Mark Schlereth,” former NFL player Mark Schlereth noted that the Vikings’ having a successful 2026 NFL season hinges on Murray.

“There’s no question that Kyler Murray has big-time arm talent, that he’s an unbelievable athlete,” Schlereth said. “The issue you get into is whether he will play on time and [does Justin Jefferson] become the big-play threat that [he’s] always been, or does that get diminished and [does Jefferson] become the off-schedule threat.

“So there’s a fine balance here, and can Kevin O’Connell get it out of Kyler Murray where other coaches honestly couldn’t? That’s what I’m waiting to find out. If Kevin O’Connell can do that, that’ll be big-time for the Minnesota Vikings, and that will elevate them right back into the hunt for the NFC North.”

Justin Jefferson on Vikings Signing Kyler Murray

QBs like Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have benefitted from having Kevin O’Connell as their head coach, and now Murray looks to be the next success story. On April 20, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on Murray joining the team.

“My first reaction was just, it’s really good to get some talent in the room, to give a little spark in that room, to see a competitive edge and for those guys to really lock in and do what we’re expecting them to do, which is to come in and be that guy,“ Jefferson said.

“We need that one guy for this team. So I’m definitely excited for that room, excited to see what those guys have in store for us in training camp.”

J.J. McCarthy Will Benefit From QB Battle

Moreover, Jefferson noted that he’s excited to see the ex-Cardinals star play and display the traits that make him an impressive talent. Still, the wideout also highlighted that it will benefit McCarthy to lock in and know he has major competition if he wants to win the starting job for Week 1.

“I’m definitely looking for those big, exciting plays,“ Jefferson added. “I’m looking forward to his speed, his quickness, and his arm strength, which he has shown countless times over the years. For J.J., for somebody to enter that room with that type of ability and talent, he has to step it up a little bit.

“It is good for him to feel that type of pressure and really lock in and say it is either now or I’m going to take that back seat again; it is all about a competitive mindset in these types of situations. It comes down to who is ready for that moment and who is ready to step up and take that initiative.”