Kyler Murray is the Minnesota Vikings’ QB1. The Vikings announced the decision to name Murray the starting quarterback on Tuesday.Kyler Murray (R) has won the battle over J.J. McCarthy (L) to be the Vikings’ QB1GettyEntering NFL training camp for the 2026 season, the Vikings’ QB battle was one of the most interesting around the league. Minnesota landed Murray following his cut from the Arizona Cardinals during the off-season, pairing him alongside former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to give the young signal caller more competition.There also appeared to be some doubts over the former Michigan star’s ability to compete at the pro level after a subpar rookie season under center in 2025. In 10 outings, McCarthy completed just 57.6 per cent of his passes for 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns, and also fired 12 interceptions.This led to his superstar teammate Justin Jefferson seeing a decline in his production, recording a career-low 1,048 receiving yards and just two touchdowns.The team knew they needed more from their quarterback. With the decision now made, Murray becomes the Vikings’ fourth different Week 1 starting QB in as many seasons, following Kirk Cousins (2023), Sam Darnold (2024) and McCarthy in 2025. “The hope when the Vikings signed Kyler Murray in free agency was that this would happen [being named QB1],” NFL insider Ian Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show. “He was their top choice in free agency. They were his top choice. I really thought that when he went out there, if he just played like he’s capable – he’s been more than an adequate starter in the NFL – just last year it fell apart because of the injury situation. “But, the hope was that this would be the case, that he would come out and reestablish himself, be in the system which has basically had every quarterback be successful, and that he would end up being the starter. Murray now gets the opportunity to be QB1 for the team he grew up supportingGettyMcCarthy didn’t do enough when he was out on the fieldGetty“It sounded like competition-wise they pushed each other, but it really just felt like Kyler was a little bit ahead,” he continued. “For the Vikings, who have had a revolving door at quarterback for the last several years, doing this now and getting it out there just helps them.”What does this decision mean for McCarthy? Murray is entering his eighth season in the NFL and has a plethora of experience under his belt having completed an average of 67.1 per cent of his passes for 20,460 passing yards and 121 touchdowns to just 60 interceptions.The 28-year-old is also considered a dual threat in the backfield, and has also rushed for an additional 3,193 yards and 32 touchdowns during his NFL career to date. The hope is that O’Connell will be able to help restore him back to the player that the Cardinals thought he would be when they drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. The Vikings head coach will take confidence having transformed Darnold from a bust candidate to a future Super Bowl winner when he moved to the Seattle Seahawks following his brief spell in Minnesota. McCarthy hasn’t lived up to the hype from his collegiate days at MichiganGettyWhat this means for McCarthy, however, is unclear. There was a huge amount of excitement around the 23-year-old when he entered the league having led the Wolverines to a National Championship before he was drafted.But after missing his rookie year with an injury, his first year on the field certainly didn’t live up to the hype. Now he has to compete with veteran Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer to be QB2, with no guarantee that he will even make the final 53-man roster come the August 29 deadline.