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Vikings have a QB problem
Vikings have a QB problem
Billy HeyenSun, June 14, 2026 at 5:07 PM UTC·2 min readVikings have a QB problem originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Minnesota Vikings knew they were creating this problem.
They signed Kyler Murray in free agency after the Arizona Cardinals cut him, and they already have J.J. McCarthy.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYes, only one of them can win the starting QB job.
The other? They might be unhappy.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote a whole article this weekend about the premise that this situation is setting up to make someone very annoyed.
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Both players have spoken publicly about the competition, and Murray has given a bit more of a calm veteran answer relatively to McCarthy already sounding a little bit bothered by it.
For Murray, it's a chance to propel his career forward.
"All signs were pointing to Murray inevitably getting the job, until this week," Florio writes. "The public accounts of the team’s mandatory minicamp created the impression that McCarthy is making strides and Murray is struggling. Murray’s comments about his effort to learn the offense, which he delivered in a matter-of-fact way that didn’t smack of excuse-making, pointed to the basic reality that, on the two prior occasions he was learning a new offense, he wasn’t sharing reps."
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McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with injury, then was sporadic in both effectiveness and availability in his second season.
If it doesn't work out this season for McCarthy, his future as an NFL starting QB is very much in question.
"So if that happens and Murray wins the job, how will McCarthy react?" Florio wonders. "Some think he’ll want to be traded. Some think the Vikings will want to trade him, especially if there’s a concern he’ll be bitter and salty and complaining to teammates that he deserves to play."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis is definitely a highly intriguing situation to watch, especially because the Vikings will be viewing themselves as a playoff team.
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