Not Long Ago, Kevin O’Connell Peeled Back the Curtain on Purple Passer Reps
Anyone who has been paying attention knows how this thing is going to go: Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are going to battle for the top QB job. Meanwhile, Carson Wentz will slot into the QB3 job to begin, doing so as a low-maintenance veteran who can play if adversity arrives.
Kevin O’Connell previously squashed any ambiguity about the arrangement.
While chatting with Mike Florio and Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk at the Annual League Meeting, O’Connell dug into how he foresees the allocation of reps. The conversation very naturally included talk about the quarterback situation. O’Connell, as per usual, was his chatty, upbeat self before clarifying how things are going to go at quarterback: “In a year where a lot of reps are going to be going to Kyler Murray, a lot reps are going to be going to J.J. McCarthy, I know Carson Wentz can play at a high level in our offense maybe without the need for the reps.”
Kevin O’Connell Clarifies QB Reps as Offseason Gets Rolling
Prioritizing Murray and McCarthy is what it’s all about.
In the former Cardinal, Kevin O’Connell gets to work with a No. 1 selection who has always been good but seldom more. The hope is that the veteran will reach new heights in his new location, but that possibility never fully arrived for someone such as Kirk Cousins. Nevertheless, the Vikings are making a similar bet insofar as Murray is a good-but-not-great quarterback who is a Pro Bowl talent but who has never been elite and who has never experienced team success.
Rallying around McCarthy is similarly important.
Kevin O’Connell can work with the No. 10 selection from the 2024 NFL Draft, a kid who got scooped up due to the belief that he would turn into the Vikings’ long-term franchise quarterback. The main hindrance in that progression has been injury.
McCarthy’s debut season was taken away by a knee injury. He then got into just ten games as a sophomore. At best, those opportunities led to up-and-down play, but he did show progress. Needing to fend off direct, formidable competition as he continues refining his game will be a good thing.
And then there’s Carson Wentz.
He, too, is an elite pick. Wentz got chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2 in the 2016 NFL Draft. That was a lifetime ago.
At this stage, Wentz is an old warhorse, a battle-tested option who won’t be scared by approaching armies. He has seen it all and played a part in accomplishing it all (PB, third-place in MVP voting, AP2, SB Champion, and so on). His great value rests in the sturdy, predictable floor and not his untapped potential for a high ceiling.
Over these past couple months, Kevin O’Connell has seen a ton take place. Free agency is (mostly) done and the 2026 NFL Draft is now behind us (read more). The Vikings are now working through a GM search. So, too, are they openly flirting with Jauan Jennings as others debate the need for help at pass rusher.
What’s not mysterious is how Kevin O’Connell will divide the reps. Murray and McCarthy are going to soak up the majority of the work. Reasonable and to be expected.
There’s then Wentz and Max Brosmer. Quite possibly, Brosmer earns more reps than Wentz not because he’s higher on the depth chart but because he’s lower. Brosmer needs to develop; Wentz has already developed. So, kick over more work to the young fella.
Kevin O’Connell is moving into his fifth season as the Vikings’ head coach. He needs to win in 2026. If he doesn’t, then O’Connell may be looking for employment in 2027. Successfully working through the upcoming QB battle is the single greatest factor in succeeding in the fall.
