Every week, the NFL delivers a remarkable range of stories. I like to use this spot to encapsulate that broad expanse here.
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The Good: Clarity Coming Quickly in Minnesota
The Vikings are having a true competition at quarterback.
By all accounts, it's not shaping up to be much of a competition.
As Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio reported, based on this week's OTA session that was open to the media, newcomer Kyler Murray is well ahead of incumbent starter J.J. McCarthy.
ESPN.com Vikings beat writer Kevin Seifert offered the following take: "Overall, the afternoon was a reminder that McCarthy could continue along the upward trajectory he established at the end of last season -- and still fall well short of matching Murray's experience, arm talent and potential to make big plays in the passing game."
Seifert went on to remind readers that pro football is built on a hierarchy of optimizing weekly win probability.
Receiver Justin Jefferson pointedly said in April that it was time for McCarthy "to step it up a little bit" or "take that back seat again."
"There is a very realistic world where McCarthy takes clear steps this offseason and still doesn't mount a serious challenge to Murray," Seifert summed up, "and this week we saw a clear glimpse of what it would look like."
The Vikings were fortunate to land Murray, the first overall pick in 2019, for the league minimum of $1.3 million.
McCarthy has had a fair shake. He has missed too much time due to injury, and availability is absolutely a skill. Also, McCarthy has had issues with accuracy and a fastball-heavy arsenal that keeps the Vikings from using layered passes to fuel the intermediate passing game.
If McCarthy had done well enough as the starter in 2025, the Vikings wouldn't have been looking for another viable starter in 2026.
Now, the best player will play.
So far, Murray is on track to be the better of the two. And getting a passer who can get Jefferson back on track will be a very good thing.