Insider drops key information on Vikings' QB battle

Insider drops key information on Vikings' QB battle originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When the Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason, most took that as a signal to J.J. McCarthy that his time as the starter was over.

Given that McCarthy only had one season to show what he could do, it tells us that the Vikings don't want to wait around for him to develop - they want to win now.

So, Murray comes in, and for most, he's the starter with J.J. backing him up, simply because that move makes the most sense.

But as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports, the Vikings don't view it that way.

"They envision it being a true competition: Kyler Murray versus J.J. McCarthy," Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. "And both these guys are going to go into this believing they're gonna win this job. I don't know frankly how friendly that quarterback room is going to be. It's going to be a very competitive quarterback room.

"From everything that I've understood, it is truly wide open, they're keeping an open mind as a coaching staff."