The Vikings have “elevated” their quarterback room this offseason by signing Kyler Murray and bringing back Carson Wentz.
With J.J. McCarthy at the helm in 2025, the Vikings went 9-8 and missed the playoffs as injuries and inconsistencies plagued them at quarterback. To make matters worse, the Vikings watched Sam Darnold walk last offseason and go on to win the Super Bowl after signing with the Seahawks. Heading into 2026, Minnesota is working to ensure the quarterback position does not hold them back this time around.
As a result, McCarthy will compete with Murray for the starting gig this offseason. At the NFL league meeting, head coach Kevin O’Connell shared what he told McCarthy when the Vikings decided to sign Murray. O’Connell noted the importance of being transparent as a coach, and that was the case when he informed McCarthy about the addition of Murray.
“I was honest with him. I said, ‘We are going to elevate the room as a whole.’ We have enough data now to show, 2022, Kirk Cousins plays the majority of that season, we win 13 games, get an opportunity in the postseason. In 2024, with Sam Darnold, he plays every snap but two and we win 14 games,” O’Connell told Mike Florio and Chris Simms on Pro Football Talk. “When we have a standard and consistency at that position, we’ve won a lot of football games.”
Outside of the inconsistent play from McCarthy, Wentz and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, it was smart for the Vikings to add to the room simply because of health concerns. McCarthy and Wentz each missed significant time due to injury last season, hurting Minnesota’s chances at contending for a playoff berth. As O’Connell noted, the Vikings’ two playoff appearances in his tenure have come when Cousins and Darnold played in every game. When the Vikings dealt with quarterback injuries in 2023 and 2025, they fell short of the postseason on both occasions.
O’Connell also explained, “You couple that with learning we’re 35-4 when we break even or better on the turnover margin in a game. There’s data to tell us we need to build our team a certain way in regards to our quarterback room whether it was bringing in a talented player like Kyler Murray at a really unique time in his career. I think he’s motivated, I think he’s experienced, I think he knows where he wants to go with his career. We wanted to bring in a player and give him an opportunity to not only compete, but see where he could take this thing.”
Though the Vikings plan to have a competition for the starting quarterback job, all signs point to Murray eventually winning the job. As the more experienced, talented signal-caller, Murray not only could give the Vikings the competency they’ve been seeking at the position, he also could raise the ceiling as well. He also has the advantage in the turnover conversation, which has been key for the Vikings’ success. Murray has thrown about twice as many touchdowns as interceptions over his career while McCarthy threw 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions a season ago.
O’Connell did express some positives about McCarthy as well, noting that he’s having a “great offseason.” He shared McCarthy’s preparation become more consistent over his second season and pointed to his play in their win over the Cowboys as an example of that growth. Even with the steps he’s taken over the past six months, Murray appears to be the clear favorite to become the Vikings’ QB1 in 2026.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kevin O’Connell Reveals What He Told J.J. McCarthy As Vikings Signed Kyler Murray.
