Important Dates For 2026 Minnesota Vikings Revealed: Quarterback battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy set to begin
The 2026 Minnesota Vikings’ season now have an official start date with OTAs close to beginning, signaling the start of the Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy quarterback battle.
The 2026 Minnesota Vikings are going to be fascinating to watch for a multitude of reasons.
After firing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the head coach Kevin O’Connell is perceived as the man in power. Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski may be calling the shots, but this is O’Connell’s team now.
Minnesota Vikings offseason program dates revealed
The Vikings have their official dates for the offseason program.
- First day: Monday, April 20th
- OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-27th, May 29th, June 1-2nd, June 4th, June 15-18th
- Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11th
The NFL announced these dates via press release on Friday and it included details of how they have to go about the schedule.
As per Article 21 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each club’s official, voluntary nine-week offseason program is conducted in three phases:
Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only.
Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.
Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs”. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
Article 22 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that clubs may hold one mandatory minicamp for veteran players. This minicamp, noted below, must occur during Phase Three of the offseason program.
NFL Press Release
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This is when we are going to see the beginning of the Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy quarterback battle. We won’t get a lot of information until mandatory minicamp, when they can really get into full team drills.
It’s going to be a lot of fun over the next few weeks for the Vikings.
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