Vikings reporter names 'overwhelming favorite' to win Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy competition

Fair or not, the perception exists that at least some people within the Minnesota Vikings want free-agency signing Kyler Murray to become a revelation this summer en route to winning the team's starting quarterback job over 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy.

Since this past spring, multiple NFL insiders and analysts have repeatedly said that Murray is the favorite to emerge as Minnesota's Week 1 QB1. During a Wednesday appearance on FS1's "Wake Up Barstool" program, Vikings reporter Alec Lewis of The Athletic addressed whether or not McCarthy has looked impressive during training-camp practices. 

J.J. McCarthy has thus far done "nothing" to catch up with Kyler Murray in quarterback competition

"Battle would not be the word that I personally would use," Lewis said about the Vikings' quarterback situation, per Eduardo Razo of Heavy. "I’ve covered this team for more than four years now, and I’ve watched the arc of how the quarterback position got to this point. When the team signed Kyler Murray this spring, it was pretty clear at the time that he would be the overwhelming favorite to start the 2026 season unless J.J. McCarthy drastically improved, developed and showed that every day. Through six practices, there has been nothing that I’ve seen that would shift me from that perspective based on covering this team and being out there." 

While the Arizona Cardinals happily moved on from Murray earlier this year, the 28-year-old is seen by many as the better overall option to serve as the Vikings' full-time starter. McCarthy spent his entire rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair, and he then left much to be desired with his play across 10 starts during the 2025 campaign. 

This past spring, it was reported that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell wanted McCarthy to improve his "accuracy, his touch and his consistency" leading up to Minnesota's preseason opener at the New York Giants on Aug. 15. Lewis' update would lead one to believe McCarthy hasn't yet produced the desired results this summer. 

J.J. McCarthy recently "elicited murmurs from fans" with a few poor throws

Kevin Seifert of ESPN noted that McCarthy "elicited murmurs from fans in the stands after overthrowing three consecutive passes in the red zone against no defense" during "a relatively light practice Tuesday in shells." Those passes alone shouldn't cause one to think McCarthy is a lost cause, but it nevertheless continues to sound like he'll be trailing Murray in the competition for the starting job when the Vikings' game against the Giants gets underway.