Vikings hoping lightning strikes twice at QB

The Minnesota Vikings are an interesting proposition this offseason, as the entire NFL world will be watching intently for the quarterback battle.

With J.J. McCarthy's future as clear as muddy water after the Kyler Murray signing, the Vikings might be hoping that J.J. can pull through and claim the job.

But will that be a reality? Right now, it is hard to see as Murray is the more accomplished quarterback.

And if it is Murray that starts, he will begin what Minnesota hopes will be a Sam Darnold-like career resurgence.

For NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha, he wonders if Kyler can be the next Darnold for Minnesota.

"The Vikings struck gold two years ago when they brought in Darnold as insurance for rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, then watched the veteran lead that team to 14 wins," Chadiha wrote. "They should be hoping Murray, another quarterback eager to resuscitate his own career, can pay even bigger dividends. The Vikings can claim that Murray and McCarthy are going to compete for the job, but this all feels like a done deal already."

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Is Vikings' starting job already won?

Well, that is certainly what it feels like.

Minnesota isn't bringing in Murray to be a backup, is it? The franchise hopes that one of two things will happen.

One, Murray wins the job, and the franchise has a cheap starting quarterback. The other is that McCarthy wins the job, and the Vikings have their next franchise star.

But this does feel like, as Chadiha said, the battle is already won. Because Murray will get starting reps in the offseason program to prove himself, leaving McCarthy on the sidelines.

It is being built as a quarterback battle, but most know that likely isn't the case at all.

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