Vikings Finally Name QB1 After Two-Week Battle Between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy

J.J. McCarthy had the most starts for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2025 season. With that, the expectations for him to lead the franchise in the 2026 season remained high, until Kyler Murray came into the picture, who reportedly has been chosen to lead the Vikings in the 2026 season.

NFL insider Adam Schefter wrote on X that the franchise had made the decision to give Murray the QB reins of the franchise.

Kyler Murray is a 2018 Heisman Trophy winner who spent the last seven seasons of his NFL career representing the Arizona Cardinals. But when Murray joined the Minnesota Vikings in March 2026, he had to topple a competitor like J.J. McCarthy to get the QB1 position.

The Vikings’ training camp started on August 1, where both McCarthy and Murray were given equal reps to show their prowess. And by the end of the first week, team insiders reported that Murray was emerging as the “clubhouse leader,” which eventually turned out to be true after the latest news from Minnesota.

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