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J.J. McCarthy J.J. McCarthy Wants to remain with Vikings
Thu, Aug 13, 2026, 10:23 AM
McCarthy told reporters Wednesday that he wants to remain in Minnesota despite losing the Vikings' quarterback competition to Kyler Murray, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: "This is the place I want to be," McCarthy said. "And I love every single person in this building. I love the state. I love the fanbase. And I'm going to continue to just do whatever I can for this team and this organization." Murray was named the team's Week 1 starter Tuesday and veteran backup Carson Wentz remains on the roster, leading to speculation that the Vikings could try to trade McCarthy. Minnesota's 2024 first-round draft pick missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury, and McCarthy then threw for 1,632 yards with an 11:12 TD:INT across 10 starts during the 2025 regular season, prompting Minnesota to bring in an alternative option in Murray. |
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Justin Jefferson Justin Jefferson Building rapport with Murray
Wed, Aug 12, 2026, 9:17 PM
Jefferson and newly named starting quarterback Kyler Murray have been starting to click at practice, Will Ragatz of Bring Me The Sports reports.
Analysis: Jefferson will be working with a new starting quarterback for the fourth season in a row after Minnesota named offseason addition Kyler Murray as their starter Tuesday. The two players connected on a handful of big plays at practice Wednesday, including a gain of roughly 35 yards on a deep post. Jefferson is coming off of a "down year" during which he caught 84 of 141 targets for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were career lows, over 17 regular-season contests while working with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer at quarterback. Now with the expectation of more stability with Murray under center, the 27-year-old superstar wide receiver is likely to get back on track. Murray also seems to understand the most important aspect of being a member of the Vikings, get Jefferson the ball as often as possible. |
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Jermar Jefferson Jermar Jefferson Headed to Minnesota
Wed, Aug 12, 2026, 2:57 PM
The Vikings signed Jefferson on Wednesday.
Analysis: In a corresponding transaction, Minnesota waived running back Jordan Mims. Jefferson suited up for just two games last season with Arizona, playing a total of six snaps, all of which came on special teams. |
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J.J. McCarthy J.J. McCarthy Set to back up Murray
Tue, Aug 11, 2026, 11:34 AM
The Vikings have named McCarthy's teammate Kyler Murray as their starting quarterback, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: McCarthy, who the Vikings took in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, missed his entire rookie campaign due to injury and started ten games for the Vikings last year, with the team winning six of them. With Murray now having been named the team's starter ahead of Minnesota's preseason slate, McCarthy is slated to serve as the team's No. 2 signal-caller, with Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer rounding out the team's current depth chart at the position. |
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Kyler Murray Kyler Murray Named as Week 1 starter
Tue, Aug 11, 2026, 11:26 AM
The Vikings have named Murray their starting quarterback, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Murray had been competing with fellow signal caller J.J. McCarthy for the assignment, but he'll now be the team's fourth Week 1 starter in the last four years. McCarthy is thus slated to serve as the team's top backup, while Murray will open the coming season helming an offense that includes a talented pass-catching nucleus featuring WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison as well as TE T.J. Hockenson. |
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Jordan Mason Jordan Mason Running well early in camp
Sun, Aug 9, 2026, 6:26 PM
Mason has been putting together a productive training camp with the Vikings, Will Ragatz of Bring Me The Sports reports.
Analysis: Mason is expected to operate in a timeshare with veteran Aaron Jones in the backfield for a second straight season. The running back has made an early statement at camp, showing some added burst in his second year in Kevin O'Connell's offensive system. Jones was limited to 12 contests due to injury in 2025, and he'll turn 32 before the end of the upcoming season, so 27-year-old Mason could be asked to handle a larger split of the workload in Year 2 in Minnesota. |
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Enters concussion protocol
Sun, Aug 9, 2026, 5:48 PM
Ward was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol Sunday, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis: Ward likely sustained the concussion during Sunday's training camp activities. The safety will now need to progress through the NFL's five-step process and be cleared by an independent neurologist before being permitted to play in any games. Ward's absence means Tavierre Thomas, Jakobe Thomas or Jacob Thomas will likely see snaps at strong safety during Saturday's preseason opener against the Giants. |
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Jordan Addison Jordan Addison Nearing full participation
Sun, Aug 9, 2026, 5:47 PM
Addison (thumb) is expected to be close to a full participant at the Vikings' night practice Sunday, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis: Addison has been battling a thumb injury at practice throughout the week, but it has been considered to be a minor injury throughout the entire process. The wide receiver appears to be on track to be back to full health in the near future, and the earlier he can be back to 100 percent, the better, as Minnesota is in the midst of accessing who its starting quarterback will be in 2026. |
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Kyler Murray Kyler Murray Taking more first-team snaps than McCarthy
Fri, Aug 7, 2026, 11:25 AM
Murray has taken around two-thirds of the first-team snaps at training camp, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.
Analysis: Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell hasn't announced his timeline to name a Week 1 starter, but he is providing hints that Murray is a strong favorite over J.J. McCarthy, including earlier this week when O'Connell told reporters that Murray has "shown improvement every single day" during camp. Seifert's report notes that McCarthy has also shown progress, but not enough to truly challenge Murray in the supposed job battle. |
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J.J. McCarthy J.J. McCarthy Getting fewer first-team snaps than Murray
Fri, Aug 7, 2026, 11:05 AM
McCarthy has taken around one-third of the first-team snaps at training camp so far, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.
Analysis: The Vikings have divided snaps, as promised, but with Kyler Murray getting significantly more work than McCarthy. That's no surprise given McCarthy's performance last year, but the team does still seem to have some interest in developing him. The report notes that McCarthy has spent much of the summer leading Minnesota's second-string offense against the first-string defense, with mixed results. Murray remains a strong favorite to start Week 1. |
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Kyler Murray Kyler Murray Improving at practice, still sharing reps
Thu, Aug 6, 2026, 9:23 AM
Murray impressed at Wednesday's practice, connecting on multiple deep passes and showing off his speed on scrambles, according to SI.com's Jason Harmon.
Analysis: The report suggests Murray may be putting some distance between himself and J.J. McCarthy, who reportedly has struggled at training camp while sharing the first-team reps. Reports on Murray also hadn't been great, at least until Wednesday, but he seems to be trending in the right direction, taking the lion's share of the snaps with the starters during Wednesday's practice, per The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said in July that he has a timeline in place to name his Week 1 starting QB, but he didn't share that timeline with the media. |
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Jordan Addison Jordan Addison Jams thumb, not practicing
Wed, Aug 5, 2026, 1:08 PM
Addison jammed his thumb earlier this week and won't catch passes during Wednesday's practice, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis: Imaging on the thumb came back clean, so Addison shouldn't be out for long. He'll be on the practice field with his teammates Wednesday afternoon, but he won't participate in team or individual drills while his thumb is healing. |
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Josh Oliver Josh Oliver Participating in training camp
Mon, Aug 3, 2026, 5:06 PM
Oliver was participating in the Vikings' training camp activities Saturday.
Analysis: Oliver ended the 2025 season dealing with an ankle injury he suffered in the Vikings' Week 18 victory over the Packers. The tight end has been on the field without restrictions during the early days of training camp and appears set to resume his role as the No. 2 option at tight end behind T.J. Hockenson. |
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Healthy for training camp
Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 7:32 PM
Banks (foot) is participating at the Vikings' training camp, Jason Harmon of Sports Illustrated reports.
Analysis: Banks has been unable to partake in team activities to this point after fracturing his foot during the lead-up to the NFL Scouting Combine, so he'll probably be playing some catch-up off the bat. With that said, Minnesota spent the 18th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Banks, so the team will likely expect him to be able to contribute right away as long as he's available. |
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Kyler Murray Kyler Murray First-team split continues
Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 11:13 AM
Murray continued to split first-team reps with J.J. McCarthy on Thursday, Rob Kleifield of the Vikings' official site reports.
Analysis: Murray had an up-and-down practice as he continues to adjust to his new surroundings. The first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft is the perceived favorite in Minnesota's quarterback competition against McCarthy, who struggled in 2025 after sitting out his rookie campaign in 2024 due to a knee injury. |
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Fully healthy as camp begins
Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 7:58 PM
Darrisaw (knee) told reporters Thursday that he hasn't felt this good "in two years," per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com.
Analysis: The left tackle tore his ACL and MCL in October 2024 and then struggled to play through the issue during the 2025 campaign, appearing in just 10 games. Darrisaw said he healed fully in the offseason and is no longer dealing with stiffness in his leg, according to Seifert. He has started 57 of the 59 games he's played in across a five-year NFL career. |
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Myles Price Myles Price Cleared for camp
Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 3:13 PM
Price passed his conditioning test and is good to go for training camp, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The top kickoff and punt returner for the Vikings suffered an ankle injury in late Week 17 of last season. After an offseason of healing, Price is all set to suit up for training camp to attempt to defend his spot as the team's top return specialist. Tai Felton is the 24-year-old's primary competition for the role. |
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Makes deal to stay in Minnesota
Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 6:24 PM
The Vikings signed O'Neill to a contract extension Tuesday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, it's a four-year deal worth $96 million which will keep O'Neill under contract with Minnesota through the 2030 season. The two-time Pro Bowler figures to resume his role as the starting right tackle in 2026 and beyond. |
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Kyler Murray Kyler Murray To share reps with McCarthy
Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 1:21 PM
Coach Kevin O'Connell noted Tuesday that Murray and J.J. McCarthy are slated to take reps with both the first-team and second-team offense during training camp practices, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The report adds that O'Connell has a timeline in place to announce the Vikings' starter at QB in order to give the team and players clarity, but at this stage it's unclear how long he'll wait to make that call. In any case, look for added context regarding this looming job battle to arrive once the team takes to the practice field. For now, Murray profiles as the favorite to land the Week 1 start, but that's a narrative that could change if McCarthy looks sharp as training camp progresses. |
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J.J. McCarthy J.J. McCarthy Continues splitting reps
Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 1:15 PM
McCarthy and Kyler Murray will both split reps with the first- and second-team offenses during the early portion of training camp, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: McCarthy and Murray continue to engage in what seems like one of the league's few true quarterback competitions. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has stated that he has a timetable in place to announce a starter, but further clarity seemingly won't arrive until further in training camp and/or the preseason. A 2024 first-round pick, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and then logged an up-and-down Year 2, throwing for 1,632 yards with an 11:12 TD:INT across 10 regular-season starts in 2025. |
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