Yes, Kyler Murray is still the heavy favorite to start for the Vikings — but the gap has tightened a bit through June minicamp.
Here's the latest picture:
- Oddsmakers still love Murray: He's got roughly a 90% implied probability (-1000) to win the job, per the wiki (from the Vikings page).
- Athletic sources confirmed by mid-May that Murray is the "heavy, heavy favorite" — McCarthy would need a dramatic camp leap to flip it (from the Kyler Murray page).
- But minicamp narrowed things: On June 9, Murray threw consecutive interceptions in 7-on-7 drills, while McCarthy looked "sharper" than he had all offseason. Both QBs are getting similar starter reps (from the Vikings page).
- Coach O'Connell plans to name a starter during the first 1-2 weeks of training camp (late July), so the competition is still live (from the Kevin O'Connell page).
Sal Vetri summed it up bluntly: "Kyler Murray is way better than what we have seen out of J.J. McCarthy … Kyler Murray is just a year removed from being a top fantasy quarterback" — .
Bottom line: Murray is still the guy to bet on, but it's no longer a sure thing. If McCarthy keeps building on his minicamp momentum into training camp, this could get interesting.