The Green Bay Packers will kick off the 2026 season against the Minnesota Vikings, and the biggest storyline might be which quarterback they'll be facing. The Vikings have opened a quarterback competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray. But while Murray is the overwhelming favorite, the Vikings have tried to keep their decision under wraps, perhaps in an effort to maintain their competitive advantage.
Like many things the Vikings have done in the past year, it may not be going to plan. A recent report by the New York Times described former NFL insider for The Athletic Dianna Russini trying to get out of a traffic ticket by referencing the officer's favorite NFL team and head coach.
While Russini didn't FaceTime the coach as reported, a bodycam video released by The Center Square's Adam Herbets revealed the coach was Kevin O'Connell and perhaps that Murray will be the starter in Week 1. Russini appears to show the police officer a text exchange with O'Connell.
Russini: "Look what I said to him, though, just now. Go to the bottom."
Officer: "Oh my god. Wow, pretty cool."
Russini: "Dude, I love the Vikings. KOC’s awesome."
Officer: "Yeah, he seems like a good dude."
Russini: "Your quarterback sucks, though."
The Packers can likely prepare for Kyler Murray as the Vikings' Week 1 starter
The Vikings may be preaching that there is still a competition that will intensify during training camp. But it should be obvious to Packers fans that Murray will be Minnesota's Week 1 starter after watching Russini's traffic stop.
The traffic stop occurred shortly after the 2025 season ended, and while you can't see the conversation on Russini's phone, her comments make it seem like it was about McCarthy. The Vikings turned to McCarthy after Sam Darnold led them to 14 wins during the 2024 season, but it was a disaster that saw McCarthy get injured (or "soft benched" if you prefer) and complete just 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
In addition, McCarthy was a lightning rod the entire season. His "NINE" meme went triple platinum on social media and is used for every fail in the book, from sports to politics, and even his comments during OTAs created a stir when he likened the quarterback room to two kids on opposite ends of the classroom amid his competition with Murray.
For the Packers, this should have pros and cons. In the game where the Packers weren't resting their starters, Green Bay dominated McCarthy, holding him to 87 yards with two interceptions in a 23-6 victory. That success could make Packers fans hope that they would see McCarthy again, but now they have a strong idea that Murray could be the starter, assuming O'Connell's text exchange with Russini was about the quarterback position.
With Russini also having the inside scoop on Aaron Rodgers' potential arrival in Minnesota last offseason, there's a good chance she has an idea of how the Vikings really felt about McCarthy and their quarterback position. And it should give an even better chance that they know which quarterback to prepare for ahead of the season opener.
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