​The Minnesota Vikings have their starting quarterback for Week 1. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Kyler Murray will start in 2026 and J.J. McCarthy will be his backup. O’Connell did say McCarthy has a “future with the franchise” moving forward. The announcement isn’t a shock. Perhaps the timing is a bit of a shock, but the team needs to build consistency and rapport before the season begins.You don’t have to have sources in the building to see what the Vikings were doing when they signed Murray to a one-year, prove-it deal. Essentially, it is an audition for Murray to remain in Minnesota or sign another lucrative contract next season. Signing Murray knowing the ceiling he possesses and his experience in the NFL as a backup isn’t exactly a solid idea.So was there ever a true competition between Murray and McCarthy? It is fair to be skeptical about that. The Vikings coaches, front office, and players were all united in their message of being behind both players and letting the competition play out, but what would it have taken for McCarthy to win the job over Murray?Let’s be frank. Neither quarterback has exactly lit things up. If Murray was ahead of McCarthy, the margins weren’t exactly wide. That in itself is an issue. Murray being better than McCarthy isn’t a shock, but barely outplaying the third-year quarterback is. It feels like McCarthy would have had to perform miles better than Murray to win the job.If the competition is this close, then the nod should go to Murray, just based on his experience alone. Now, is that encouraging for Vikings fans? It shouldn’t be. There wasn’t much thought placed on this competition because it was assumed Murray would leave no doubt and outplay McCarthy. While it seems as if Murray did outplay him, it would be by a small margin.I’ll ask again: was there even a legit competition? It appears the Vikings would hold the competition for the public, but there was never a doubt about Murray starting. The cards were stacked against J.J., and he would have needed an extraordinary training camp just to be considered.Ultimately, the competition ended how we believed it would, but the results are a bit flat. Murray was just slightly better and still needs time to master this offense, which is a concern on August 11th. McCarthy didn’t play better or deserve to win the competition, but the competition wasn’t real to begin with.