Vikings' Justin Jefferson has this wish for J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray QB competition

Regardless of what has been said and written about the subject, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell seems serious about giving 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy a legitimate chance to defeat free-agency signing Kyler Murray in the competition for Minnesota's starting quarterback job. 

The competition won't truly get underway until training-camp practices begin this summer. Earlier in the offseason, Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson seemed to take some shots at McCarthy. During a Friday appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" program, Jefferson was asked what he wants to come from the battle for the QB1 gig. 

Vikings have "missing piece" amid J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray competition 

"Just competition, for real," Jefferson responded, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Just to see who’s going to be that last man standing, who’s going to be that dog, who’s going to be that leader to carry us throughout this season — because that’s definitely a missing piece that we’re looking for and something that’s very important to our team, which is the quarterback spot. So just seeing that competition, battle — seeing those guys come every single day leading the team and trying to spark, especially the offense, is definitely something I’m looking forward to. And just going out there and just connecting with any quarterback who’s throwing the ball, that’s the main, important thing this training camp." 

A report shared ahead of this year's draft indicated that McCarthy has no real value as a tradable asset after injury setbacks limited him to just 10 regular-season starts over his first two pro campaigns. That said, the Arizona Cardinals thought so little of Murray earlier this offseason that they moved on from him even though they owed him $38M in fully guaranteed money for next season before he signed only a league-minimum deal with the Vikings. 

Thus, the idea that Murray should simply be handed the starting job this spring is rather silly unless O'Connell and Co. have been dishonest regarding their desire to see if McCarthy can jump-start his career. 

Justin Jefferson hopes his 2026 Week 1 starting QB is atop the depth chart at this time next year

As ESPN's Dan Graziano noted, Murray's contract prohibits the Vikings from retaining the signal-caller's rights via the franchise tag next offseason. That could be a concern for Jefferson, who would like for Minnesota to have a long-term QB1 on the roster. 

"...It definitely would be great to have a quarterback — the same quarterback — for these next couple years going down the line," Jefferson added. "But we already know that’s something that’s very difficult to do in this league. But for sure, to keep on that quarterback for these next couple years, and build that relationship, and create that spark, that’s definitely the plan."

Jefferson sounds open to building a relationship with either McCarthy or Murray. For what it's worth, Jefferson previously revealed that he and McCarthy met on multiple occasions for workouts during the offseason.