Kyler Murray Named Starting Vikings Quarterback Over J.J. McCarthy
The Minnesota Vikings ended their training camp quarterback competition Tuesday, naming Kyler Murray their Week 1 starter over J.J. McCarthy, the 2024 first-round pick who has missed 24 of 34 possible games in two injury-plagued seasons and could not close the gap with Murray despite two weeks of shared first-team reps.
Murray, 29, signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Vikings in March after the Arizona Cardinals released him, a low-risk signing made possible because Arizona is still on the hook for $35.5 million of Murray's contract.
He was the presumed starter from the moment he arrived. Coach Kevin O'Connell held a formal competition anyway. Murray won it, even after an inconsistent stretch of practices last week.
"Kyler will begin the process of really looking at things now as our starter," O'Connell said. "Nothing changes as far as J.J. being an incredibly important member of our quarterback room and our team."
Murray was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. He made three Pro Bowls with Arizona and won 38 games.
Injuries, a torn ACL in 2022, a foot injury in 2025, disrupted the later years of his Cardinals tenure. He never won a playoff game.
He opens the regular season September 13 against the Packers. It will be his first start for a team other than Arizona in his seven-year career.
