The Minnesota Vikings are finally opening training camp Wednesday, and the quarterback battle has already become the center of gravity around the team. Kevin O’Connell has both quarterbacks in the building, but until he makes a call, the conversation is going to keep circling back to Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy.
One of the most interesting voices in that discussion belongs to Adam Thielen. He’s not just another former player tossing out a take from afar. Thielen spent part of last season back in Minnesota, caught passes from McCarthy in practice, and got a firsthand look at how the young quarterback operates inside O’Connell’s offense.
That’s why his opinion carried weight on ESPN’s NFL Live Monday, where he made his lean pretty clear.
“I think it’s Kyler Murray’s job to lose. I do.
I think it’s Kyler Murray’s job right now, but if J.J. comes and shows up and shows exactly what he wasn’t doing well last year. First of all, when you see J.J. in person and you’re around him, you want to be around him.
He’s a great leader, he’s fun to be around. He’s just like this guy that everyone just loves.
So, at the end of the day, they drafted him in the first round, they want him to have success. So, if he comes and shows it, he could win that job.
Right now, it’s Kyler’s job.”
Thielen’s point was simple: McCarthy has the personality and leadership traits you want, but he still has to prove the football side is ready. Last season, McCarthy went 6-4 in 10 starts, completed 57.6% of his passes and finished with an 11-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Minnesota saw enough flashes to keep the door open, but not enough consistency to hand him the job without a fight.
Murray, meanwhile, brings the kind of résumé that naturally puts him in front at the start. The seven-year veteran has played 87 games, completed 67.1% of his passes and thrown 121 touchdowns against 60 interceptions. That experience is a big reason Thielen sees him as the favorite entering camp.
The comment didn’t stay in the analyst booth for long. Adam Schefter picked it up Tuesday morning on Get Up and treated it as a meaningful signal from someone who had actually been around McCarthy inside the system.
“When Adam Thielen says that, then you have to assume that it is Kyler Murray’s job to lose. You have to assume he’s going to win the job unless we start hearing reports in training camp about how good J.J.
McCarthy looks, how far he’s come along. Until we start hearing those types of things, comments from coaches about J.J.
McCarthy stepping up and responding to the challenge, and showing maturity… Until then, it sounds like Kyler Murray is going to be the guy.”
Schefter wasn’t reporting new information out of Minnesota. He was reacting to the significance of the messenger. Thielen isn’t on the coaching staff, but after spending much of last season around McCarthy, he has a sharper view than most outsiders.
So as camp begins, the competition is still alive - but the early read from two prominent voices points the same way. Murray walks in as the favorite, and McCarthy now has the chance to change that once the practices start.
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Adam Thielen turned up on ESPNs NFL Live as an analyst, a notable detour for a player still better known for his work on the field than in front of a camera. The appearance came without any official announcement that he was stepping into a permanent role, which made it stand out even more as a glimpse of what could be next for the veteran receiver.
During the segment, Thielen weighed in on how a star receiver addition can reshape an offense, pointing specifically to the way it can open things up for a young quarterback like Drake Maye. For Minnesota fans, it was a reminder that Thielens football voice carries well beyond the locker room, even if it is still unclear whether this was a one-off TV spot or the beginning of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
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Still, analyst Andrew Perloff put Minnesota in a late-season white flag conversation, the kind fans hate because it suggests a team could eventually start thinking less about chasing the postseason and more about positioning itself for the 2027 draft. A full tank sounds far-fetched with OConnell on the sideline and other quarterback options available to keep the Vikings afloat, but the fact that the discussion exists at all says plenty about how much hinges on the next stretch of seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Just Added A Former Pro Bowler Nobody Saw Coming
The Vikings are adding another piece to a linebacker room that already has plenty of moving parts, and Jamal Adams arrives with the kind of background that makes the move worth watching. He has played for the Jets, Seahawks and Raiders, and last season he made the transition from safety to linebacker, giving Minnesota a defender with experience in multiple spots and a chance to help in a variety of roles.
For a defense that likes flexibility, Adams fits the profile of a rotational player who can be deployed in different ways depending on the matchup. He enters a competition that already includes Eric Wilson, Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr. and rookie Jake Golday, and his path to snaps may come through linebacker work, safety looks or nickel packages as Brian Flores sorts out how the pieces fit together. [Read more 🡒]