ESPN offers J.J. McCarthy Vikings hope amid Kyler Murray signing

Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Minnesota Vikings made a rather loud statement about their quarterback room when they signed Kyler Murray in free agency. After J.

J. McCarthy struggled in his only year as the starter, some think the writing is already on the wall for the young quarterback, and others even thought a trade could happen. But everything we've heard is that the Vikings want it to be a proper quarterback battle between McCarthy and Murray, and whoever wins, wins.

For ESPN's Dan Graziano, he states that people inside the building haven't given up on McCarthy as the starter. "People I've talked to who are close to this situation insist that the Vikings haven't given up on McCarthy -- that part of their hope is bringing in Murray sends some sort of shock to McCarthy's system and gets him refocused on whatever they think he got away from last year," Graziano wrote . MORE: Chargers' rookie set to make Year 1 waves for Mike McDaniel Does McCarthy have Vikings future?

Well, it depends on how you view it. Either McCarthy will use the Murray competition as a tool to take his game to the next level, or he'll be overtaken and relegated to backup in 2026. In truth, neither scenario will be the end of this conversation, but the likely hope is that J.