EAGAN, Minn. — They seem comfortable living in limbo.
For months, the Minnesota Vikings extolled the virtues of a quarterback competition. Fiery practices would maximize performance. The hoopla surrounding every throw and decision would demand a high degree of focus and consistency.
Coach Kevin O’Connell designed this quarterback duel between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy to bring out the best in a position that influences all of the other elements of the team.
Given the lack of full-speed practices this spring, the QB development effort runs parallel to the broader preparation of the offense. That ends Wednesday when training camp officially begins. Rep counts shrink. Opportunities are fewer. The Vikings use a rhythm- and timing-based system that requires humid days like these for players to get the right feel.
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This spotlights perhaps the most fascinating push-pull of training camp.
How will O’Connell, general manager Nolan Teasley and the rest of the Vikings staff make a comprehensive decision on whether Murray or McCarthy will be the starter? And how will they balance the time it takes to pick their man with the time it takes to ensure that player has an adequate grasp of the team’s offensive operation?
“Having gone through training camps at that position,” O’Connell told reporters Tuesday, “I’m well aware of the time it takes to go into Week 1 comfortable and ready to get off to a really good start.”
This mindfulness explains why the Vikings are entering Wednesday’s opening practice with a planned timeline, which is subject to change depending on what the coaches observe on and off the field.
When are they scheduled to pick a starter for Week 1?
“I can’t remember it right now,” O’Connell said, smiling.
O’Connell met with all of the team’s quarterbacks this week to discuss the plan. Some of the highlights: Murray and McCarthy will get snaps with the first- and second-team offenses. Early on, practices will feature a 50-50 rep split, but that will change as practices morph into more realistic simulations. Executing the offense with command and precision remains the No. 1 priority.
Joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens kick off Aug. 19. Considering how much O’Connell values those practices as benchmarks for the team, it is fair to view that period as a pivotal point in the calendar. The Vikings could name a starter beforehand to give that player the more important reps. Or, if the competition shows little separation, O’Connell and company could use those practices to finalize their evaluation.
Neither O’Connell nor Teasley offered any clues about a preferred favorite Tuesday.
Teasley, though, did say he was “excited” about seeing Murray in O’Connell’s well-choreographed offense.
“He was the No. 1 pick for a reason,” Teasley said of Murray. “It’s not just about what he can do with his arm, and we all know he can operate on schedule … rarely do things go as planned in the National Football League, so it’s the extension of the play, and what he can do in that arena. He can create as well.”
This is where the conversation typically flows to the melding of Murray’s stylistic preferences with O’Connell’s complex offense.
Murray entered the league in 2019. With Murray on the field, the Arizona Cardinals set up in the shotgun on 85.3 percent of their snaps. Contrast that number with O’Connell’s Vikings, who have used the shotgun on only 53.1 percent of snaps.
Minnesota’s pre-snap process stresses the quarterback in ways Arizona’s didn’t. O’Connell’s offense also deploys many deep-drop concepts.
Since 2022, when O’Connell arrived, Vikings quarterbacks have taken 516 hits — the most of any team in the league by a sizable margin. Not even McCarthy’s potential growth as a layered passer or continued jelling with the locker room would allow for a major leap if he continues to sustain that level of punishment. This emphasizes two less sexy subjects than quarterback: improved offensive-line play and a revamped run game.
O’Connell and Teasley singled out both areas Tuesday. O’Connell even suggested the Vikings would commit to a more physical training camp than in past years to create more of an edge among the offensive linemen.
All of these factors matter in what the 2026 team becomes. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw’s availability remains a question. Safety Harrison Smith’s undecided future will affect the defense’s ability to deceive. First-round pick Caleb Banks’ health will factor prominently in the defense’s ceiling.
But for better or worse, all of these layers will take a back seat until the quarterback situation is settled.
“Whenever that happens,” O’Connell said, “that’s not the end-all. We need to continuously chase improvement amongst our whole team.”
The Vikings are betting the improvement can happen in a short time. Given the way the 2025 season went, and given the hard truth the Vikings haven’t won a playoff game since 2019, that bet had better be right.
