Vikings Insider Shares Juicy Details on QB Competition
As they’ve been since the signing of Kyler Murray, all Vikings fans’ eyes are on the QB competition between Murray and J.J. McCarthy.
Talks have heated up after the first dates of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Both QBs have had ups, and both have had downs. Not only have those ups and downs been on the field, they’ve also been on the microphone.
J.J. McCarthy went viral for his “classroom” comments in a media session where he seemed like he couldn’t be bothered to say something nice about Kyler Murray. Murray himself got some pushback after he took to the media to explain how it’s hard to learn the offense if he isn’t getting all of the first-team reps on the practice field.
As much as the Vikings are selling a true competition, most agree that Kyler Murray will eventually be named the starting QB. A notable Vikings insider’s opinion is no different.
Vikings Insider Tom Pelissero Shares Behind-the-Scenes QB Competition Details
Tom Pelissero was recently on The Rich Eisen Show and shared some of his thoughts on the QB competition and how it has played out so far. He still believes that Kyler Murray is likely to eventually be named the starter.
“I would say it is more likely to be Kyler, but they say that they’re keeping an open mind, at least, into training camp here that first week, 10 days of the training camp process prior to that first preseason game, and who gets the start in the first preseason game will probably tell you exactly what you need to know. If I had to lead right now, it’s Kyler.”
Obviously, this wouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone. Ever since Kyler Murray was signed, many have assumed that he was the starter right away.
Pelissero shared what he believes the announcement of the timeline might be:
“I think that at this stage, coming out of mini camp, the coaches probably have a pretty good idea what direction they think this is going to go, and I don’t anticipate it takes all three preseason games for them to arrive at that conclusion.“
As we get deeper into the offseason, the Vikings will have to announce the decision sooner and sooner.
When Will the Vikings Announce the Starting QB?
The Vikings have a couple of choices. If Minnesota really does already have their mind made up about Kyler Murray starting, then they could just make it official ASAP. Or, they could not, and just keep the NFL guessing until they can’t anymore.
We must also consider that this competition might just be legitimate. Maybe J.J. McCarthy really is giving Murray a run for his money, especially considering Murray’s reported struggles in 7-on-7 drills. The Vikings likely don’t feel in a rush to formally announce the decision. In fairness, the time that they would really need to start considering it would be training camp.
If they don’t feel like they absolutely have to announce anything right now, then they won’t. They can ride this out as long as they need to, and that’s probably a good thing. If Pelissero’s reporting is accurate that the Vikings are keeping an open mind during the competition, then that’s a good thing for McCarthy’s chances in this thing.
