Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are days away from kickstarting the Minnesota Vikings’ 2026 quarterback battle at training camp, the first of its kind since 2014 when Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Christian Ponder squared off. Most have an opinion about who will win the job, including former Vikings linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks.
The pair spoke about the topic on the Bent Outta Shape podcast, leaning toward a Murray endorsement while maintaining that McCarthy still has plenty of time left in his young career to blossom.
Two Former Vikings Welcome a True QB Competition
Barr, Kendricks Talk Vikings QB Battle
Barr asked Kendricks if he liked the Murray offseason addition, and he replied, “I love it. I feel like it’s a great opportunity for Kyler to leave the Cardinals, reestablish himself in the league and fix his reputation. I feel like it gives him a clean slate, kind of like Sam Darnold got with the Seahawks.”
“It also provides a little competition. Iron sharpens iron. I like that they added him. I like him with KOC. KOC is a big confidence builder in young quarterbacks, and Kyler has experience.”
Barr then took the baton, opining on McCarthy, the Vikings’ starter last year: “Especially a young quarterback like J.J. McCarthy, who hasn’t yet proven himself. Even in college, he did win a natty, but a lot of people want to say it was because of the defense, the running game and Coach Harbaugh.”
“The jury is still very much out on J.J. I’m not soured on him at all. I still think he has all the potential in the world. Will it come to fruition this year?”
Pretty Good Subject Matter Experts
When someone like John Doe at ILoveSports.com opines on the Vikings’ quarterback battle or shares a prediction, it doesn’t mean much more than one perspective. But when Barr and Kendricks weigh in, well, purple fans listen.
Between the pair, 17 years of Vikings-focused experience has formulated the Murray and McCarthy takes. On top of that, Barr and Kendricks weren’t anonymous defenders to the fan base. Both are beloved. The duo held down the fort in the middle of the Vikings’ defense for most of the Mike Zimmer era.
Their quarterback musings carry weight.
The Case for Murray
Murray can be considered the frontrunner to win the QB1 job because he has seven years of experience to McCarthy’s 10 starts, along with Murray’s speed, arm strength, and passing accuracy. He was the first overall pick in 2019, and not long ago, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell unlocked the third overall pick from the 2018 NFL Draft – – Sam Darnold.
If Darnold excelled with O’Connell’s coaching and within Minnesota’s offense, there’s no reason to believe Murray would be wildly different.
O’Connell has also had success with quarterbacks since 2022: Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, Joshua Dobbs (for a few weeks), and Carson Wentz (to an extent). O’Connell has not had much success with these passers: J.J. McCarthy, Jaren Hall, Max Brosmer.
It’s easy to see: O’Connell wins with experienced quarterbacks and tends to falter with rookies and rookie-adjacent players.
The Case for McCarthy
On the other hand, the case for McCarthy is pretty simple: the franchise drafted him to lead it into the future as the QB1, and abandoning him at age 23 would just be bizarre. McCarthy showed flashes of promise in 2025, especially in clutch situations — there’s enough to build on for growth and development.
Practically, McCarthy has a tall task at training camp. He must outplay Murray, and Murray is not an easy foe to outplay. It’s not like last year when McCarthy would look over his shoulder and see Sam Howell.
If McCarthy becomes the Week 1 QB1 for the Vikings, it will mean an injury to Murray happened, or a massive upset occurred. Otherwise, he can wait until his chance under center once again. Recent Vikings seasons have proven that quarterback injuries usually unfold.
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VikesNow Verdict: Barr and Kendricks did not declare a winner, but they clearly support the Vikings creating legitimate competition. Murray owns the experience advantage, while McCarthy retains enough talent and organizational investment to keep the decision from becoming automatic.
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