I don't read much into that. Murray needs to get some reps in with the #1s. JJM needs to prove he can make quicker decisions and fixed his throwing mechanics including layering his throws. Easy enough to do that with the #2s.

Consistent team reps mean to me that this wasn't a competition as much as affirmation about what KOC and Co. already thought of Murray. I think Kyler is coming in motivated and this is what they wanted to see: Commitment early. Rumor is his he's picking up the offense quickly. The earlier they give QB1 most of the reps, the better off it will be for the offense.

Listen, we don't know if its true but we all have to admit there's been a lot of smoke in this direction. From multiple sources. We'll find out soon enough. But QB1 seems obvious now if it wasn't before.

I don't have access to twitter at work. Are they speculating what might happen or are they reporting a decision that has been made?

Also, thanks Mike for letting us get the gist of a tweet even if the main tweet is blocked, I really appreciate it!

Edit: OK I listened to it over lunch. No reporting happened. He literally said he doesn't have any information and is just imagining some futures, which is fine.

StickierBuns wrote:

Consistent team reps mean to me that this wasn't a competition as much as affirmation about what KOC and Co. already thought of Murray. I think Kyler is coming in motivated and this is what they wanted to see: Commitment early. Rumor is his he's picking up the offense quickly. The earlier they give QB1 most of the reps, the better off it will be for the offense.
Listen, we don't know if its true but we all have to admit there's been a lot of smoke in this direction. From multiple sources. We'll find out soon enough. But QB1 seems obvious now if it wasn't before.

I kinda believe that one guy who said a few days ago that even if McCarthy has improved his game considerably, that likely won't be enough to unseat Murray. Like I said before, the best thing for Viking fans is for both QBs to look fantastic.

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/jasonharmonnfl/status/2062596922506949047

well there went that molehill.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell encourages open dialogue in starting QB competition

O’Connell said he doesn’t want J.J. McCarthy or Kyler Murray to hide their thoughts or feelings from each other this offseason.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell saw the reactions to and interpretations of J.J. McCarthy’s characterization of his relationship with fellow quarterback Kyler Murray last week as “two guys on opposite sides of a classroom.”

O’Connell knows it won’t be the last time comments from either QB will be picked apart until — and likely even after — the 2026 starter is announced publicly.

He didn’t make much of it.

“That’s what part of the competition is all about,” O’Connell said. “There’s no hiding anything. It’s gonna be displayed on the field. And their teammates, their coaching staff and the guys in this building have to feel conviction about the direction we go, and you do that by your daily habits and just improving.”

O’Connell encouraged open dialogue among his quarterback room, internally and externally, in his first comments about the competition between Murray and McCarthy since Vikings organized team activities began May 26.

On the field Thursday, things looked similar to how they did last week: Both Murray and McCarthy worked with members of the No. 1 offense. They snapped with the same centers. They stretched in separate lines to start practice.

Thursday was Day 6 of a slated nine OTA practices, though O’Connell has previously canceled up to the final three and released players early for their break. The Vikings also have a three-day mandatory minicamp next week.

Inside QB meeting rooms, where O’Connell has been “spending a little bit more time” since Murray’s addition, O’Connell said conversations between Murray and McCarthy have not only been professional but positive.

He credited some of that positivity to the leadership of 11th-year veteran Carson Wentz, who has returned for a second year with the Vikings despite suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last fall. O’Connell also pointed to quarterback coach Josh McCown’s experience as a player in various QB rooms as a guiding factor in how those in the room engage with one another.

O’Connell emphasized there’s an interesting mix of experience within the Vikings quarterback room this year with various levels of comfort in his offense.

As Murray takes in O’Connell’s offense for the first time this spring — a process that Murray said May 27 has been focused on grasping the language of the scheme, in particular — there have been some similar questions and conversations to the ones the Vikings had while bringing McCarthy up to speed the past two years.

McCarthy, along with Wentz and Max Brosmer, has brought his experience within the scheme to those conversations with Murray. Murray’s experience in multiple offenses through seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals adds some variance.

“There’s been tweaks to the offense that we’ve made off of some of those conversations and dialogue,“ O’Connell said.

But in a competition with two players as passionate as Murray and McCarthy, there’s bound to be some tension.

O’Connell said he doesn’t expect his QBs, or any member of his team, to always be happy-go-lucky or plaster on a smile.

He wants his players to put in effort every day to be good teammates to one another, but he doesn’t want them to hide their feelings from one another or the public.

“I want them to be open,” O’Connell said. “I want them to be honest because I think it’s all part of having a transparent quarterback competition that allows these guys to truly demonstrate that they can consistently be the same guy every day and stack really good days. When they do that, the team grows.”

Pressed for whether McCarthy’s description and the demeanor with which it was presented was encouraged, O’Connell said he has bigger things to worry about as the Vikings look to establish a QB who, barring injury, can carry them through all 17 games this fall.

Was the quarterback’s footwork right? Were his eyes in the right place?

Was the right protection call made when defensive coordinator Brian Flores threw something unexpected at the offense in 7-on-7s?

Did every player, and particularly the QB, do their job to set the offense up for success each play?

“There’s enough that goes into that that I don’t have a ton of space left over for who says what or how they say it,” O’Connell said. “It’s all a reflection of how people handle competitive situations. We’re all gonna handle them differently. What I care about is when they step between the white lines, that there’s growth and development and that it really is a competition.”

Strib

purplefaithful wrote:

Pressed for whether McCarthy’s description and the demeanor with which it was presented was encouraged, O’Connell said he has bigger things to worry about as the Vikings look to establish a QB who, barring injury, can carry them through all 17 games this fall.
Was the quarterback’s footwork right? Were his eyes in the right place?
Was the right protection call made when defensive coordinator Brian Flores threw something unexpected at the offense in 7-on-7s?
Did every player, and particularly the QB, do their job to set the offense up for success each play?
“There’s enough that goes into that that I don’t have a ton of space left over for who says what or how they say it,” O’Connell said. “It’s all a reflection of how people handle competitive situations. We’re all gonna handle them differently. What I care about is when they step between the white lines, that there’s growth and development and that it really is a competition.”
Strib

I love that he pointed that out. Over the last week, my phone and comp have blown up with (over)reactions to JJM's infamous press moment, although at least one reporter pointed out the constant "Kyler" questions shot at the kid whereas K1 got softballs in comparison.

I don't mind that the kid's intense in early OTAs, the reports and clips I've seen point out a lot of dimes thrown by both, as well as OCD over both of their footwork.

It's kind of like mock drafts months ahead of the actual event: a bunch of speculative noise that barely relates to the reality in the locker room. Mandatory minicamp hasn't even happened yet, and people are digging themselves in with ridiculous intensity.

All 4 of our QBs have, arguably, a lot to prove in different ways. I think that KOC laid it out early, so all the cherry-picked moments of online babble mean nothing compared to the actual competition.

I just want to see our new HOF QB bring us our first Lombardi like everyone keeps saying is 100% going to happen. I can't wait!

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/skornorth/status/2062989857144574195

Could be...My gut says it wont get decided (let alone announced) with just OTA's.

But I could also see where they want a clear pecking order by TC too.

I sure dont even feel comfortable guessing at it. Yah, OTA's feels too premature.

JJ is done in MN. He is acting like a bitch. Period. He will be good for a team once he matures. He is just too damn young.

The Vikings traded the stability but frustratingly limited ceiling of the Kirk Cousins era for the possibility of whatever else was out there starting in 2024.

It led them to sign Sam Darnold and draft J.J. McCarthy No. 10 overall in 2024 for what looked to be a competition until McCarthy tore his meniscus in the preseason.

It led them to turn the team over to McCarthy in 2025 while Darnold signed with Seattle. The theory that a veteran team would allow the young McCarthy to grow into the job was scuttled by injuries and poor play by all their quarterbacks during a 4-8 start. Darnold won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks, making the Vikings’ chosen path even more painful.

Now it’s 2026 and Kyler Murray is here on a massive bargain ($1.3 million for one year). He’s perhaps in a competition with McCarthy, and maybe not an entirely friendly one, for the starting job. Whatever happens this year, the Vikings will have another decision to make at QB in 2027.

Kevin O’Connell weighs in

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about McCarthy’s “classroom” comment and reaction to it during Thursday’s media availability. “Interpretations of those comments are going to be what they are. In the room in the actual day to day the dialogue between those guys, the interactions have been professional. Even more so than that, it’s been a positive room. So I didn’t make a lot out of it. ... That’s what part of the competition is all about. There’s no hiding anything. It’s gonna be displayed on the field.”

Is it really a competition?

Of course, it is also open to interpretation as to whether this is a true competition. The prevailing wisdom is that Murray wouldn’t have come here on a prove-it deal while trying to resurrect his career without some assurances that he — barring something unforeseen like an injury — would be the Week 1 starter. And the Vikings don’t seem to be inclined to repeat last year’s disastrous QB carousel.

McCarthy and Murray split repetitions equally Thursday, but OTAs and next week’s minicamp are not great indicators of the overall plan.

Training camp will be fascinating

After next week’s minicamp, the Vikings will vanish from the public view for more than a month. When they reconvene for training camp we will start to get a better read with our eyes and ears as to how the QB situation unfolding. If it’s Murray leading the way, as many of us think it is, it will be clear in the work.

And what about 2027?

The future of the position is where new GM Nolan Teasley comes into play. He inherited this QB situation, but it is temporary. What does he really think of Murray and McCarthy? How well would one of them have play this year to make it plausible to move forward with that QB in 2027? How much will salary cap considerations influence the decision?

Strib

20% and even that seems to be too high.

You’d be selling at his lowest market value. Now, if he lights up preseason, and some team loses a starter during the season, and that team won’t pick high enough to get in on the 27 QB class, then you answer the call. Hopefully you get a similar return to what the Cardinals got for Rosen, but that might be a total pipe dream.

Now, if Teasley has already made up his mind on JJ, I have to think he takes a really hard look at Sorsby. I really like his traits, but then again, I thought Will Levis was the second coming of Josh Allen.

Ohhhh, maybe you get Levis cheap if KO likes him. He sure put up yards on BFlo. Hmmm

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/skornorth/status/206301248671493734720% and even that seems to be too high.
You’d be selling at his lowest market value. Now, if he lights up preseason, and some team loses a starter during the season, and that team won’t pick high enough to get in on the 27 QB class, then you answer the call. Hopefully you get a similar return to what the Cardinals got for Rosen, but that might be a total pipe dream.
Now, if Teasley has already made up his mind on JJ, I have to think he takes a really hard look at Sorsby. I really like his traits, but then again, I thought Will Levis was the second coming of Josh Allen.
Ohhhh, maybe you get Levis cheap if KO likes him. He sure put up yards on BFlo. Hmmm

All this is speculations, assumptions and predictions by a bunch of beat writers. Until it comes straight out of the front office, I'm not going to put any validity into anything they say or print. They're just keeping the hype and drama going to make their own quotas.

Teasley would be an idiot to trade McCarthy now after KOC spent 6 months trashing his trade value. Hell, he got to see us start Max Brosmer in person. With JJ and Kyler's injury histories, I don't see Teasley trading one and risking having to watch Carson Wince. If somebody's starting QB does a Bridgewater and calls us with a stupidly desperate offer, then he'll take the call.

How Teasley handles this will be a tell about him.

If JJ is as good as he thinks he is, beating out Murray shouldn't be a problem, Correct?

JJ's compass is off.....