Vikings head coach reveals honest message he told J.J. McCarthy after signing Kyler Murray

Kevin O’Connell has revealed what he said to J.J. McCarthy after the Minnesota Vikings signed Kyler Murray.

The Vikings landed the former No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick in free agency after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals after seven seasons.

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With Murray’s arrival in Minnesota in search of a fresh start – and being the leading front runner to become the Vikings’ QB1 – questions have been raised over what this means for McCarthy going forward.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell has since revealed that he was transparent with the young signal caller over his plans for the off-season, amid trade rumors beginning to form.

“I was honest with him,” O’Connell said in an appearance on PFT Live on Tuesday. “I said ‘We are going to elevate the room as a whole’…

“We know that there’s a standard to playing that position, that we need, through a competitive environment, get all of our QB’s to play to that standard, and when we do that we’re gonna win football games.”

After sitting out his entire rookie campaign in 2024 with injury, the 2024 National Champion with the Michigan Wolverines had an injury-laden season under center in 2025.

In 10 outings, McCarthy completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 air yards and 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

He rushed for 181 yards, entering the end zone on an additional four occasions.

With his career in the big leagues not having got off to the start that he likely envisioned, O’Connell revealed that McCarthy has been working hard in the offseason as he prepares for the new competition in the QB room.

“I think J.J.’s had a really good offseason. I think he’s got perspective now,” O’Connell said. “He definitely has experience.

“He knows what it’s felt like to go in there and do some things at a really high level, and now it’s just about consistency and it’s about being in a competitive situation, not for necessarily any other reason to continue the arc of trying to become the best player he can possibly become.”

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O’Connell’s clear stance on Murray

Murray revealed during his introductory press conference that he ‘cried real tears’ when he signed with the Vikings, having supported them growing up.

The two-time Pro Bowler signed with Minnesota on a one-year, $1.3 million deal, though will be paid his $36.8 million guaranteed salary for 2026 by his former employers in Arizona.

O’Connell spoke very highly of his new signal caller at the NFL‘s Annual League Meeting on Monday, potentially hinting at the direction he may take when making the decision over who will be QB1 come Week 1 of the 2026 regular season.

“I don’t think he’s gotten enough credit for playing in rhythm. Some of those plays — we all recognize some of the highlight reel ability that he has, and Kyler Murray has always had that level of talent,” O’Connell said.

“But I think sometimes what we don’t recognize is the 3rd and 7, right before the huge scramble play on the earned first down, but that 3rd and 7 where he hits [Cardinals tight end Trey] McBride away from some tight coverage on routes that are maybe similar to some of the things we’ll do.”

With the Vikings head coach having spent much of his career developing his offensive scheme and passing attack on being under center, and Murray often operating the offense out of the shotgun, O’Connell knows he will have to be adaptable to the vast talent now available to him at quarterback.

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“We just feel like having the ability to get quality quarterback play throughout the circumstances that we do not control throughout the season — pretty historical data that says we get quarterback play to a certain line, we win a lot of football games,” O’Connell added.

“So we wanted to ensure that we were able to do that, but also make it a very, very competitive room, and that’s regardless of who’s taking reps with what group.”

Including the re-signing of veteran journeyman Carson Wentz, the Vikings now have three former top-10 NFL draft picks on their roster, O’Connell is relishing the opportunity to prepare all three signal callers to “be able to take snaps and contribute to winning when called upon.”

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