Kevin O’Connell declines to name a starting quarterback

The Vikings, as expected, have added a veteran quarterback to the depth chart, in the form of 2019 No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray.

With Murray signing a one-year, $1.3 million deal (thanks to the Cardinals owing him another $35.5 million) that includes a no-tag clause for 2027, it’s fair to wonder whether Murray arrives as the new starter.

Coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t answer that question on Thursday night.

“Unless I’m confused in any way, shape or form, I don’t believe we have to name one of those currently,” O’Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.

The fact that O’Connell didn’t say J.J. McCarthy is the starter becomes a strong clue that it’ll be a competition, and that the better player will earn the job.

And McCarthy can’t be surprised by the development, given the full-season body of evidence from 2025.

“He knew we were going to be adding somebody to the room,” O’Connell said regarding McCarthy, via Seifert. “He knew that that didn’t change anything about his mindset and focus on improving and attacking this offseason the right way.”

That’s the goal of competition. Both players should be motivated to win the job. That should push each guy to become as good as he can be.

Given their respective injury histories, there’s a good chance both will play, at some point. It will be for the coaching staff to decide which of the two will be the Week 1 starter, and beyond.