The Minnesota Vikings are still in the early stages of offseason activities, but that’s not stopping fans and media from asking why Kevin O’Connell hasn’t named J.J. McCarthy as his QB1.

O’Connell won’t say McCarthy is the starter, but he also isn’t shutting down the speculation. On Rich Eisen’s show this week, he said that McCarthy is taking snaps with Ryan Kelly, the newly acquired free agent center.

I know everybody is wildly concerned about these reps on air. Let me put you at peace, Rich. (J.J.) is taking plenty of snaps with Ryan Kelly, who happens to be a 10-year starting offensive center in this league. Take that for what it’s worth.

Like O’Connell said, the team has practice restrictions at this point. The offensive and defensive veterans have yet to face off against one another, so there shouldn’t be any rush to publicly “name” the starting quarterback or any other starter.

But he also isn’t shutting it down. Perhaps it’s just assumed McCarthy will be the starter, and O’Connell believes it’s best to address that behind closed doors before announcing it to the public. No matter what is being said, it appears McCarthy will still be on track to start when the 2025 season begins.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings HC continues to tease naming J.J. McCarthy the starter