Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy were treated differently after Vikings’ practice on Wednesday, and the reason makes total sense
Both players met with the media for the first time since practices started, and how they were treated was a stark difference.
The Minnesota Vikings have officially kicked off their quarterback competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray. Wednesday afternoon was the first time both players practiced in front of the media in the 2026 offseason, with Murray meeting the media in person for the first time.
The first practice of the offseason isn’t going to tell us much about the quarterback competition. They are going through the motions with individual drills, and doing some 7-on-7. Once training camp gets underway, we will start to learn who will be the starting quarterback.
Questions for Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy were vastly different
After practice, both players did a media scrum lasting between five and eight minutes. Not a ton to take away from either one, but there was something that stood out: they took massively different questions. There was some discussion about how mature both players were when it came to their interactions with the media.
Let’s start with Murray. He was asked about the competition and his relationship with McCarthy and how receptive the latter was to advice.
“It’s been great. Obviously, I know he’s a younger guy, so any way I can help him. I’ve played seven years now, going on eight, so I’m considered a veteran, even though I don’t see myself as that. I’ll give him any knowledge that he needs. Again, we’re both competitors, and I know you know we both want what’s best for the team.”
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray on relationship with J.J. McCarthy
Pretty standard questions overall from the beat, but the inquisition about McCarthy and the competition stopped there. The rest of them were focused on getting to know Murray more and his process coming into the Vikings. That is going to be key here.
McCarthy’s questions were significantly different. He fielded a total of 12 questions about the quarterback competition. Yes, you read that correctly, with the most intriguing answer coming when asked about his relationship with Murray.
“It’s just like two guys in a classroom, you know, he sits on one side, I sit on the other side, and it’s the coach’s responsibility to teach us and coach us.”
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy
You could tell by watching the scrum that McCarthy was annoyed by all the questions, and honestly, seemed peeved that Murray was there to begin with. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Vikings to be their franchise quarterback after all. During these pressers, McCarthy is usually outgoing, but was much more curt in his communication. 12 questions about potentially losing your job could do that to anyone.
Why were they asked a very different set of questions? Two reasons come to mind:
- Both players are in different places
- It’s not a real competition
It’s much more likely the former than the latter in May, especially since most of the local media had not interviewed Murray in person before Wednesday. If we are seeing the stark differences in how the questions are being asked come the first week of August, then we have a big issue on our hands.
The stark difference in the questions both were asked had a purpose on Wednesday, and it told a story, one that could be different in three months. For right now, it’s a big nothing burger.
