As the world turns eh? There is no escape from the incessant analyses over every rep and practice for the top two QBs on the team. Once KOC makes a decision there will be some complaining for sure but probably more so from the fans that wanted to see if JJ could be the long term answer at QB. It is a tough situation to be in if you are KOC because you simply have not gotten enough games on tape to truly get a good idea about JJ’s future. I do not think teams can wait any longer on young QBs unless
they have a purposeful plan like the Packers with Jordan Love. In that situation, they had an established starter so Love could sit and learn. The Vikings did not have that and signing Sam Darnold in 2024 was not seen as getting a starter. In turned out way better than most could have expected. Obviously everyone knows all this already.
Still, I do not believe the team has abandoned or is giving up JJ in any way shape or form. They gave him the chance to compete in his first year and then gave him the job without any competition last year. They just cannot wait any longer. Even though JJ has not been able to play more, the team still has benefitted from not paying too much for the QB group overall. Even with Murray this year the team is 31st overall in cap spending on the QB group/position at $11,318,732. Last year they also were 29th $12,886,589 (includes Darnold’s 5M in dead money). In 2024, they were 6th at $40,758,418 thanks to the 28.5M dead money cap hit for Cousins.
The point is that the team has been able to spend in free agency and extensions. The spending in 2025 was not ideal but I believe the deals for Allen and Hargrave were solid as evidenced by the deals they went out and got this offseason. Say what you want about Allen and Hargrave but the defense played very well especially down the stretch. It was the QB play and the offense that let the team down last year. Imagine if JJ had remained healthy all season. I believe he would have been playing better at the end of the year for sure. Maybe not a whole lot but every little bit helps. The Kelly deal is the one that hurt the most and only because he suffered the concussions.
This year there were very frugal which is OK. After extending O’Neill they are sitting at $21,154,099 in cap space for 2026. Right now, the team is sitting at $29,932,787 in cap space for 2027 (according to overthecap) but it does not include the 12M in cap credits they will get from Allen and Hargrave signing pretty similar deals in free agency this offseason. After adding in the 12M, the Vikings will have roughly 41.93M in cap space for 2027 before adding in any carryover from this year and doing extensions (Van Giunkel, Cashman, Mason, and maybe Hockenson) or cuts (Metellus, Fries, Theo Jackson, and Tavierre Thomas offer decent savings). It is going to be interesting to see what the new GM and his team envision.
But, I digress. I am supposed to be talking about the QB competition. I really cannot put a lot of stock into how these two do every single day. They both could be up and down at times even in the same practice. I have already stated how I think it is going to go as well. I believe they want Murray to start. Simple as that. What that means for JJ is anyone’s guess.
2026 Vikings Training Camp Full Schedule
https://www.vikings.com/schedule/vikings-events/training-camp/schedule
DATE : TIME : PRACTICE
Saturday, Aug. 1 : Noon- 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 7 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 8 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 9 : 5 – 11 p.m. : 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 11 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 12 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 13 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 17 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 19 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m. : Joint Practice with Baltimore Ravens
Thursday, Aug. 20 : Noon – 5 p.m. : 2:30 p.m. : Joint Practice with Baltimore Ravens
The Minnesota Vikings 2026 preseason schedule features three matchups
Week 1: Saturday, August 15 at New York Giants (1:00 PM ET)
Week 2: Saturday, August 22 vs. Baltimore Ravens (12:00 PM ET)
Week 3: Friday, August 28 at Denver Broncos (Time TBD)
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Vikings training camp recap, Day 4: Kyler Murray bounces back in a big way
https://bringmethesports.com/vikings-training-camp-recap-day-4-kyler-murray-bounces-back-in-a-big-way
Over the first two days of Vikings training camp, it was perhaps fair to give a slight edge to J.J. McCarthy in the team’s quarterback competition. He took what the defense gave him and stacked completions, while Kyler Murray had some predictable ups and downs as he continues to get acclimated in a new offense. Thursday wasn’t great for Murray.
That was not the case on Saturday. In the team’s third full-speed practice of camp (and fourth overall), Murray was the clear winner of the QB battle. He looked comfortable and played like a guy who has started almost 100 games in the NFL. McCarthy, meanwhile, looked quite a bit shakier than he did in the first couple days.
Murray’s sharp day
Murray’s very first dropback in 11-on-11 set the tone for what kind of day he would go on to have. With Jordan Addison running a clearout deep route up the right side, Murray waited and fired a perfect ball to Justin Jefferson, who was running a deep crosser into the space underneath Addison’s route. It’s the exact kind of play that has been a staple of Kevin O’Connell’s offense and Jefferson’s game.
Later in the opening period of 11s, Murray made another great anticipatory throw to Myles Price, who found a small window of space beyond the linebackers. Price couldn’t quite complete the catch.
The Vikings did their 7-on-7 work in the low red zone in this practice. After checking down to Aaron Jones on his first rep, Murray fired one over the middle for a touchdown to T.J. Hockenson. He nearly found Hockenson for another TD towards the right pylon, but the Vikings’ top tight end lost the ball in the process of trying to complete a lunging catch. Murray then progressed through his options and went underneath to Zavier Scott for a score.
Back in 11-on-11, Murray threw a slant to Jefferson in stride, then found his top receiver in open space again. Murray and Jefferson connected five times in this practice, by my count. Their rapport seems to be picking up already. As the cherry on top of Murray’s day, he ended with a nice intermediate throw up the seam to Tai Felton, who was covered tightly but was able to make the grab.
It’s still very early, of course. But this was the type of day where you could really see the upside with Murray in O’Connell’s offense, throwing to Jefferson and these other weapons.
McCarthy struggles
Murray played well enough on Saturday that he was going to be hard to “beat” if evaluating each day of the competition as its own mini battle. But McCarthy didn’t even make it close. This was his least effective day of the three so far.
McCarthy’s first throw was a checkdown that was tipped at the line and incomplete. He then sailed a ball that was intended for Jauan Jennings in tight coverage towards the left sideline. And to wrap up his first bundle of 11-on-11 reps, McCarthy had a pass tipped by rookie linebacker Jake Golday that was picked off by Blake Cashman.
In red zone 7s, McCarthy’s first attempt for Tai Felton was broken up by Charles Demmings. On the next one, he held onto the ball for a long time before rolling out and throwing to nobody. McCarthy did connect with Gavin Bartholomew and Dillon Bell for touchdowns, sandwiched around a high throw for Felton in the back of the end zone.
The third-year quarterback just didn’t seem to find much of a rhythm throughout the day. He was indecisive at times. He threw maybe a smidge late towards Felton on an out-breaking route in 11s, allowing Zemaiah Vaughn to get there for the pass breakup. He floated one that was just a bit late for Hockenson, again allowing a defender to make the play.
To McCarthy’s credit, he stayed the course and had his two best throws of the day towards the end of practice, both of which went for chunk gains to Jeshaun Jones. It’s also worth noting that he spent most of his time with the second-team offense (which sometimes means going against the first-team defense), whereas Murray spent more time with the offensive starters.
Still, McCarthy will need to bounce back quickly to have a shot in this competition. By my count, he was 8 for 16 with an interception, and two of those completions were screen passes. Meanwhile, Murray went 14 for 17 with two borderline drops among the three incompletions.
Training camp recap, Day 4
https://www.purpleinsider.football/p/training-camp-recap-day-4
What I heard
Kyler Murray throwing downfield
During the first two days of camp, it was notable how often Kyler Murray showed a willingness to push the football down the field. Thursday’s practice saw him hit several shots, including a 45(ish)-yard bomb to Dontae Fleming. He also missed one of Justin Jefferson’s fingertips on the first day.
I asked O’Connell whether it was planned to have Murray take a lot of downfield reps or if things just played out that way based on the calls.
“I think a lot of it is how the plays come and what defense is scripted. We are really just in the early stages….it’s still early enough that it’s hard to pinpoint any tendencies. At the same time, seeing him do that and hitting some of those downfield throws even into some of Flo’s exotic looks was encouraging.”’
While the universe wants to competition to be decided within the first couple days, we really won’t be able to identify trends until pads come on and the intensity of the practices increase.
…
Caleb Banks is good to go
One of the positive early developments of camp is that Caleb Banks has been involved with the first and second team, getting a handful of reps each day.
“He’s definitely full-go,” O’Connell said. “We have a mindset about what that looks like because it has been a good chunk since he’s played football. We’re building up those reps. He will get a little more today but we are being really purposeful with the fact that he’s in there with the first group and with the full compliment of calls that Flo has that day.”
…
O’Connell said that the plus with Banks is that, even though he missed the OTA and minicamp periods on the field, he was still able to do a lot of learning in the classroom.
“One of the things that I was impressed by in the spring is his ability to retain information without physically get to apply them,” O’Connell said. “How he handled walk-through, how he handled the meeting room.”
“It’s been cool seeing the connection that him and Big Citrus [Orange] have, if you see one then you probably see the other,” O’Connell said. “That’s exactly what you’re looking for when you bring in two young guys like that.”
Next step for Jordan Mason and the run game
“You guys can probably tell by the way he looks, he’s in unbelievable shape right now,” O’Connell said. “He’s already made a few cuts and a few runs that have demonstrated a comfort and a guy that’s prepared and ready to go. I’m excited about Jordan Mason.”
“His explosiveness was all over the tape and you guys have probably seen it early on with some things either in space or his ability to hit the run where we want him to go and what he’s able to do off that,” O’Connell said.
“I think having a guy like Aaron Jones in the room is such a huge thing for him,” O’Connell added.
“This year it really has been about, ‘what does it look like when we call some of these plays and you stand at the line of scrimmage and no matter what the concept is, are we playing on the opponent’s side? Are we getting off the ball and getting into combinations at the point of attack and having true synced up identity?”
“Our guys up front are really excited about it,” O’Connell said. “Even more so the conversations with an Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman or Jalen Redmond or Josh Metellus who say, ‘this feels a little different.’”
…
Golday on his role
“They told me first thing when I got here that they wanted me to be versatile and be able to play a lot of things, that’s how I’m going to get on the field,” Golday said after practice. “So I didn’t take that lightly. I took that opportunity to study pretty much every single backer position. So when the time come, I played Will all spring. Then when I came out here in fall camp, they were saying, I want you to play some Sam. I was ready for the job because I’d been studying over the break and throughout spring the whole time. I want to know every position so that I can stay out there as much as possible.”
…
Charles Demmings is one motivated cornerback
“Coming out here right now, I treated it like it was the Super Bowl. Because I don’t want to get into a Super Bowl or get into preseason versus the Giants or week one versus the Packers for it to be that [intense]. When I’m out here, ‘OK, we playing the Giants this rep. Okay, we’re playing the Packers this rep. Okay, now we’re in the Super Bowl this rep. How am I going to combat? How am I going to gauge this bad rep and turn it into a great play this next rep?’”
“That’s the thing about Brian Flores,” the young corner said. “He only has one standard, and he doesn’t shy away from it. He holds everyone to the same standard. And so that not only pushes the team, but pushes us individually to hold each other up to that same standard, man.”
KOC Wouldn’t Risk Murray’s Learning Curve On A Bogus Competition
https://zonecoverage.com/2026/minnesota-vikings-news/koc-wouldnt-risk-murray-learning-curve-on-a-bogus-competition/
I wouldn’t be shocked by reports that McCarthy looks more comfortable at this stage in the competition. Frankly, he has no excuse not to look comfortable. Even if McCarthy still isn’t ready to be a premier quarterback in this league, I’m not stunned that he can look serviceable in a camp setting, particularly when his competition has only been in the building since February. I also would’ve expected Murray to show flashes amid other inconsistencies in the first week of camp. None of this should be breaking news.
It also legitimizes this quarterback competition. Not because McCarthy may be playing well enough to keep pace with Murray, but because it shows how much work Kyler needs to get up to speed in this offense. If Kevin O’Connell thought Murray was his Week 1 starter, then he’s doing his player a massive disservice right now. Competition isn’t going to bring out the best in Kyler right now; reps will. Murray’s learning curve is too steep to waste any opportunity to get him up to speed on a phony quarterback battle to protect another player’s feelings or placate the media.
Vikings Training Camp Recap: Kyler Murray shines while rookies make a major impact
https://atozsports.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings-news/vikings-training-camp-recap-kyler-murray-jake-golday-jj-mccarthy/
Kyler Murray wins the day as Vikings fans get first glimpse of QB battle
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-practice-live-updates-august-1-fans-kyler-murray-jj-mccarthy/601873240
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson dishes on Kyler Murray-JJ McCarthy QB battle in training camp
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/vikings-justin-jefferson-dishes-kyler-133610169.html
Kyler Murray seems to be pulling ahead in Vikings QB competition, as expected
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/kyler-murray-seems-to-be-pulling-ahead-in-vikings-qb-competition-as-expected
Vikings QB Battle Takes a Turn After Saturday’s Practice
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/vikings-qb-battle-takes-turn-022706883.html
Kyler Murray Punches Back
https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/top_news/kyler-murray-punches-back
Three Reasons Why Kyler Murray Will Win the Vikings Quarterback Competition
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/three-reasons-why-kyler-murray-223928261.html
An Odd Response from Kevin O’Connell after Getting Pressed on J.J. McCarthy
https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/top_news/odd-response-kevin-oconnell
Kyle Brandt, a co-host for Good Morning Football, asked about “this impression that maybe he wasn’t given enough opportunity.” Coach O’Connell began in a normal manner. Upbeat and positive, the skipper pointed toward McCarthy’s youth. Shortly thereafter, O’Connell offered the strange part of the answer: “Even the level of, I wouldn’t even say scrutiny, but even the tone of the question kind of falls under the category of I want, we want to let him develop.”
O’Connell clarified where he thinks the current development path is going: “So now what we’re trying to do is just make sure, always being mindful of his individual development, where we think he is at and how we can help get him to a place, through competition, that will be a really good outcome for J.J. and the Minnesota Vikings.”
Minnesota Vikings Training Camp: A new J.J. McCarthy trend may be developing and it could be concerning
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-j-223552717.html
Vikings Training Camp Observations: Competition Ramps Up; Rookies Step Up on 1st Day with Fans
https://www.vikings.com/news/2026-training-camp-observations-competition-rookies
Harrison Smith’s uncertain future opens door for Vikings rookie in Brian Flores’ defense
https://thevikingage.com/harrison-smith-uncertain-minnesota-vikings-future-opens-door-jakobe-thomas
Vikings DC still hasn’t ‘gotten over’ Harrison Smith’s absence
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/vikings-dc-still-hasnt-gotten-005520822.html
Harrison Smith’s Potential Return To the Vikings Is Still Complicated
https://zonecoverage.com/2026/minnesota-vikings-news/harrison-smith-potential-return-to-the-vikings-is-still-complicated/
The Vikings’ Starting Lineup as Training Camp Gets Rolling
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/vikings-starting-lineup-training-camp-120000307.html
NFL about to relearn the Kevin O’Connell lesson Vikings fans already know
https://thevikingage.com/nfl-relearn-kevin-oconnell-lesson-minnesota-vikings-fans-know
Two Vikings Position Battles in Training Camp Just Got Interesting
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/two_vikings_position_battles_in_training_camp_just_got_interesting/s1_17615_44126134
Caleb Banks Brings the Good News to 2026 Training Camp
https://purpleptsd.com/2026/vikings/top_news/caleb-banks-injury-update/
Why Jordan Mason Shouldn’t Be Worried by Vikings’ Latest Training Camp Signing
https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi/why-jordan-mason-shouldn-t-be-worried-vikings-latest-training-camp-signing-01kyt1t2n5xh
Betting the Vikings in 2026: See how Minnesota’s win total, Super Bowl odds are trending and our best bets
https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/betting-the-vikings-in-2026-see-how-minnesotas-win-total-super-bowl-odds-are-trending-and-our-best-bets/
Stacey Dales Talks NFC North, Vikings Quarterbacks, Justin Jefferson, Brian Flores’ Defense & More
https://www.vikings.com/video/stacey-dales-talks-nfc-north-vikings-quarterbacks-justin-jefferson-brian-flores-defense-more
The Vikings’ Trade Candidates: The Top 5 Roster Options
https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/top_news/vikings-trade-top-5-roste
Which Vikings were listed to have the potential to ‘shape’ the season?
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/vikings-were-listed-potential-shape-225518870.html
Yore Mock
Trade with DET
Received Pick #23, Pick #55
Sent Pick #13, Pick #239
…
Pick #23. Zabien Brown (CB): 6’0″, 194 lbs
Pick #45. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (EDGE): 6’6″, 265 lbs
Pick #55. Koi Perich (S): 6’1″, 200 lbs
Pick #77. Iapani Laloulu (OC): 6’2″, 325 lbs
Pick #86. LJ Martin (RB) — 6’2″, 226 lbs
Pick #146. Mike Matthews (WR): 6’1″, 198 lbs
Pick #151. Kip Lewis (LB): 6’1″, 226 lbs
Pick #182. Luke Montgomery (OG): 6’5″, 312 lbs
Pick #212. Stephiylan Green (DT): 6’3″, 296 lbs
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