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According to an NFL insider, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback battle between Kyler Murray and JJ McCarthy is not going to end anytime soon.
Murray was signed over the offseason to a one-year deal at the minimum following his release from the Arizona Cardinals. He still gets a good portion of the contract, which is why he was able to sign at such a cheap figure.
The hope, for the Vikings, was to secure a capable starting quarterback in case McCarthy’s development did not go as planned and he was not ready to help push the team into playoff contention.
While many assumed that Murray would run away with the job considering his experience and production up until this point, there is seemingly going to be a wait-and-see approach.
When previewing the upcoming quarterback battle in Minnesota, NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport laid out how long the Vikings could last in coming to a decision.
“For the Minnesota Vikings, no doubt one of the biggest storylines of all of training camp, they have their quarterback battle as well. Is it Kyler Murray? Is it J.J. McCarthy? That is going to be going on throughout camp, through the preseason games, right up to the start of the season,” Rapoport said.
Why Waiting Could Backfire for the Vikings
The issue with taking this much time is that Murray will end up splitting his first-team workload with McCarthy, resulting in a slower adjustment process.
Murray is taking on an entirely new system and working with a totally fresh set of players, a noticeable change since he had only been with one franchise up until this point.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has been known to get the most out of his signal-callers, but time may end up limiting his impact right off the bat with Murray.
And then, the Vikings will be stuck with McCarthy, who was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last season and became a major anchor for the offense.
If McCarthy has improved and is ready to take on the starting role full-time, the Vikings will be justified in this approach.
But as time passes and they don’t pick a starter, this decision will be one of many questionable ones regarding the quarterback position in Minnesota over the past few years.
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