Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy came back from a high ankle sprain, finished the 2025 season strong, and walked into mandatory minicamp with a year of real NFL experience under his belt. But it wasn’t enough to lock down the job. The Vikings signed Kyler Murray anyway, and now McCarthy is splitting first-team reps with a seven-year veteran who has never competed for a starting spot in his career.

“Those reps being distributed are something out of my control,” McCarthy said in his minicamp presser, “and the only thing I focus on is that next rep and keeping it as simple as that.”

Back at the OTAs in May, when a reporter asked if Murray’s arrival had disappointed him, McCarthy gave the most composed answer in the room – “Then I would be disappointed if the rain fell.” He called Murray’s signing an “organizational” move, something that was, even then, “out of his control.” He’s had months to take it all in, and he’s given the same answer every time.

What JJ McCarthy can control is what he does when he gets the reps. At the OTAs, he was matching Murray in accuracy, and even looked more refined entering year 3. But consistent injuries have forced Minnesota’s hand.

JJ McCarthy missed his entire rookie season (2024) with a torn meniscus he suffered in the season opener. 2025 was the first regular season he ever played, and yet the consistency that the Vikings needed was missing. He missed five games with a high ankle sprain, one more due to a concussion, and rounded it off by missing Week 17 with a hairline fracture in his throwing hand.

Despite all that, he went 6-4 as a starter, ending his season with a four-game win streak. His familiarity with head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system does give him an edge that Murray doesn’t have, but he has to prove he can stay healthy the whole season.

Murray, on the other hand, has seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, two Pro Bowl nods, and was one of the most experienced quarterbacks available this offseason. And he’s not happy about splitting reps with McCarthy either.

“Having to split reps, me already being behind, not getting the amount of reps you would typically want a guy to get learning the offense, that’s probably the toughest part,” Murray said in the same minicamp presser.

Murray admitted that he’s “learning on the fly” and that gap showed up immediately. The Vikings opened their camp with him, and Murray got picked off twice on back-to-back plays during 7-on-7 drills. JJ McCarthy, running with the first-team offense, threw an accurate deep ball and looked sharper throughout camp.

The system familiarity McCarthy has is the entire difference between the two quarterbacks at this stage. Coach O’Connell isn’t rushing a decision, but isn’t pretending he has forever either.

“We’ve got a great plan in place, and we want to make sure when we get to training camp we’ve got a great plan. You don’t have a ton of time,” O’Connell said, per ESPN reporter Lindsey Thiry.

The dates for the training camp haven’t been announced yet, but they will probably open in late July. By then, JJ McCarthy has to move up the depth chart and claim his spot as the QB1. Kyler Murray, meanwhile, has to close the familiarity gap, or the rep splits won’t matter anymore.