J.J. McCarthy’s path in Minnesota has taken another sharp turn, and this one looks especially hard to walk back from.
The Vikings had already pushed McCarthy out of the starting quarterback conversation by losing that job to Kyler Murray. That alone still left room for a possible reset, with a year on the bench as Murray’s backup offering at least a chance for the former top-10 draft pick to learn and regroup. But Minnesota is not taking that route.
On Wednesday, head coach Kevin O'Connell said McCarthy will not be Murray's backup, at least for now. That role is going to Carson Wentz, another former high draft pick whose career has found a second life as a veteran reserve. If McCarthy is going to pick up anything from the quarterbacks around him now, it will be from Wentz and the unusual road he has taken since leaving Philadelphia in 2021.
The message from the Vikings is hard to miss. This does not look like a team planning around McCarthy for either the short term or the long term, and putting CARSON WENTZ ahead of a young quarterback says plenty about where things stand.
McCarthy is still set to make roughly $5 million this season, which at least gives him a financial cushion even as the football situation keeps sliding. It is a bright spot, but only a small one, for a player whose franchise appears to be moving on quickly.
As for when Minnesota can actually cut ties, the answer is simple: technically, the Vikings can release McCarthy whenever they want. The real issue is the cap hit.
If they wait until 2027, when he is in a contract year, Minnesota would only take on about $3 million in dead salary cap money. After this latest demotion, that timeline looks like the most realistic one for his future with the team.
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Vikings Lose Tight End Depth At Worst Possible Time
The Vikings have had to shuffle their roster at a spot where they could least afford any more thinning. Minnesota placed tight end Ben Yurosek on injured reserve, a move that takes away a piece of the depth chart just as the team is settling into the 2026 season. To make room, the Vikings also released safety Kahlef Hailassie from the practice squad.
Yuroseks injury is not expected to be long-term, so this looks more like a setback than a season-changing loss. Even so, it leaves Minnesota leaning more heavily on its veteran pair of T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver for the time being, and the Vikings will be hoping Yurosek can work his way back later in the year when the tight end group could use the help most. [Read more 🡒]
J.J. McCarthy's Vikings Standing Just Took An Alarming Turn
Kevin O'Connells Week 1 quarterback decision offered a clear look at how Minnesota is lining up behind starter Kyler Murray, and it was not the place J.J. McCarthy likely expected to be. Carson Wentz is set as the backup for the Packers game, leaving McCarthy third on the depth chart after a rough 2025 season that saw him finish last in several passing categories.
For a player who arrived with real long-term intrigue, the immediate message is hard to ignore: the Vikings are prioritizing stability for the opener, while McCarthys path back will have to come through performance and circumstance. Injury concerns around Murray and Wentz could still create an opening during the 2026 season, but for now McCarthy is waiting much farther down the line than anyone in Minnesota would have hoped. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Just Sent A Troubling Early Message About J.J. McCarthy
Kevin OConnells Week 1 quarterback decision sent an early signal about where J.J. McCarthy stands as the season opens. The Vikings head coach said McCarthy will open as the No. 3 quarterback behind Carson Wentz, a notable shift from the earlier plan that had the young passer slotted in as the backup.
The move adds another layer to an offseason that has already brought questions around McCarthys ankle injury and the chatter about his future in Minnesota. Even with the opener still ahead, the Vikings have made it clear their depth chart is not set in the way many expected, and McCarthy now has more to prove before he can climb back into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]