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Shortly after a report<\/a> revealed that Minnesota Vikings<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>head coach Kevin O’Connell<\/a> had named free-agent signing\u00a0<\/span>Kyler Murray<\/a> the team’s starting quarterback, some understandably wondered if the Vikings could make 2024 first-round draft pick\u00a0<\/span>J.J. McCarthy<\/a> available to interested teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n While speaking with reporters, O’Connell confirmed that Murray is his QB1. O’Connell also hinted that McCarthy won’t be going anywhere this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Kyler will begin the process of really looking at things now as our starter,” O’Connell explained, per Kevin Patra<\/a> of the NFL’s<\/a> website. “We\u2019ll still be getting J.J. a lot of work, a lot of reps, because it\u2019s very important that his development and ongoing growth and arrow up, that we feel very positively about, continues.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n McCarthy spent his entire rookie campaign recovering from a\u00a0<\/span>full meniscus repair<\/a>. The Vikings said plenty about how they felt McCarthy played over 10 starts<\/a> last season when they signed Murray to a team-friendly one-year contract earlier this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Nothing changes as far as J.J. being an incredibly important member of our quarterback room and our team,” O’Connell added.\u00a0<\/p>\n It has repeatedly been suggested<\/a> that McCarthy has little value as a tradeable asset. That said, Murray’s injury history<\/a> could lead one to think that O’Connell may have to turn back to McCarthy this coming fall. Murray\u00a0<\/span>made just five starts last season before he was\u00a0<\/span>shut down<\/a> by the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>Kevin O’Connell: J.J. McCarthy is still an “incredibly important member of” the Vikings<\/h2>\n
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\ndue to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a foot injury. \u00a0<\/p>\nWhy the Vikings chose Kyler Murray over J.J. McCarthy<\/h2>\n