Day 3 Practice ~ July 31st

Justin Jefferson, who spoke to reporters moments ago for the first time in training camp, said he’s excited about the Vikings’ QB competition because he feels it will bring out the best in either Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy.

“I always love a competition,” he said. “I feel like a competition brings out the true dog and that true player within you.”

Jefferson is heading into his fifth year with Kevin O’Connell, and while he said the tenets of the Vikings’ offense are the same, he’s arrived each year to new wrinkles designed to get him open against the coverages he faces. “We try to find different ways to move around and try to get the defense off the chart a little bit,” Jefferson said.

How is Murray doing with the offense?

“He’s getting more comfortable with it. I mean, this offense is very complex and very difficult — a lot of verbiage, and just a lot of moving parts and moving pieces to it. The communication part of it, he understands where I need to be at, where he would like me to be at, all of those different things.”

While Jefferson said he’s sure he’ll be asked for his thoughts on the quarterback decision, he didn’t seem inclined, at least on Friday, to voice a strong opinion.

“I don’t know. It’s a difficult question,” he said. “It’s just all about who comes out here and makes the plays. Who’s going to be that vocal leader, that person we can depend on throughout the difficult parts of the season. Whoever that guy is, that’s who we’re rocking with, and obviously we’re going to have the other guy throughout the entire season if anything else goes bad. So it’s just all on getting the work in, creating a connection with both players, just building all that.”

Strib

purplefaithful wrote:

There's just no way a 35.6 QBR and passer rating of 72.6 earns you the right to unequivocally start the next season.

Agreed, McCarthy has to earn it, but when you make a significant investment in drafting a player high in the draft and his overall development is in the best interest of the franchise both short and long term, you don't unequivocally pivot off him either after ten games in favor of a more veteran project in Murray...and Murray is going to be a project in this offense.

supafreak84 wrote:

Agreed, McCarthy has to earn it, but when you make a significant investment in drafting a player high in the draft and his overall development is in the best interest of the franchise both short and long term, you don't unequivocally pivot off him either after ten games in favor of a more veteran project in Murray...and Murray is going to be a project in this offense.

Yabut...

If it wasnt K1, it was going to be (very likely) someone else with starting potential credentials. Someone who has to learn a complex playbook.

So why not go with the guy whose former club is paying 99% of the salary? I'll bet u Teasley is happy with some additional cap flex this pre-season.

We're almost singing from the same hymnal...

Let's lace em up and go!

Indoor practice so no updates.

JustInTime wrote:

Indoor practice so no updates.

Yah, I read they were going slo-mo indoors today.

17 or 18 more sessions left under the CBA?

"A competition brings out the true dawg in you." - @jjettas2 pic.twitter.com/xnaMZcNGr6

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2026

All coming together. pic.twitter.com/5ISrGINsi2

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2026

"Being a safety at @LSUfootball with the drip, with the swag, DBU as they call it coming from LSU so it was cool and fun to see." - @jjettas2 on @prez signing with the #Vikings pic.twitter.com/xurbOOWv8O

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2026

Teams spend their offseason figuring out ways to cover @JJettas2. pic.twitter.com/scplL3XFe5

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2026

LIVE: WR Justin Jefferson talks to the media https://t.co/RgjjJFwNdk

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2026

Remember it took Kirko a half a year before he said he finally understood it.

purplefaithful wrote:

Yah, I read they were going slo-mo indoors today.
17 or 18 more sessions left under the CBA?

16 padded in preseason. So, they should have all 16 remaining.

Doogie risking incarceration.

purplefaithful wrote:

There's just no way a 35.6 QBR and passer rating of 72.6 earns you the right to unequivocally start the next season.

You're right. Murray is here because of JJ. He should earn it.

• Rookie defensive lineman Caleb Banks, the No. 18 pick of the 2026 draft, opened camp working with the second team but on Friday worked almost exclusively with the first team alongside nose tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez and defensive end Jalen Redmond.

JustInTime wrote:

Man, I hope so! 2 TDs was just brutal.

I mean they both came from JJ McCarthy. Carson Wentz couldn't get him in the end zone and neither could Max Brosmer.

purplefaithful wrote:

There's just no way a 35.6 QBR and passer rating of 72.6 earns you the right to unequivocally start the next season.

It does in some universes:

Peyton Manning had a passer rating of 71.2 during his 1998 rookie season. ESPN's Total QBR metric was not tracked or recorded during his rookie year (as QBR was only developed later and data for historical seasons prior to 2006 is not officially published).

Rookie Statistics Overview

• Passer Rating: 71.2

• Passing Yards: 3,739

• Touchdowns: 26

• Interceptions: 28

• Completion Percentage: 56.7% [1, 2, 3]

indoor practice, mostly walkthroughs......so no news. But good news is camp should be picking up today.

“Kyler has experience when it comes to how long he’s played in the league, and J.J. is just kind of getting that experience,” Jones added. “But that experience was big for him last year, and you can tell it has helped J.J.

“He came back this year with a deeper understanding of the playbook. He can get guys lined up and handle those different things. I would say that was the biggest difference. Those reps have really helped J.J. during OTAs, and you can tell he’s taken a step.” - Aaron Jones

StickierBuns wrote:

“Kyler has experience when it comes to how long he’s played in the league, and J.J. is just kind of getting that experience,” Jones added. “But that experience was big for him last year, and you can tell it has helped J.J.
“He came back this year with a deeper understanding of the playbook. He can get guys lined up and handle those different things. I would say that was the biggest difference. Those reps have really helped J.J. during OTAs, and you can tell he’s taken a step.” - Aaron Jones

That is fine if you go with Murray for the "experience" but you cannot let JJ go via trade if you do IMO. I just have always had this feeling that it would be the most Viking thing to happen to us when it gets thrown in our face.