The Vikings are changing the quarterback pecking order for Week 1, and J.J. McCarthy is the one taking the hit.
Kevin O’Connell told reporters Wednesday that Carson Wentz will be Minnesota’s primary backup behind the starter against the Packers, with McCarthy slotted in as the No. 3 quarterback. Per Alec Lewis, O’Connell also said the arrangement will be a “week-to-week” determination.
That is a shift from what the Vikings had said last month, when O’Connell indicated McCarthy was expected to be the No. 2 quarterback after losing the starting job to Kyler Murray. But McCarthy’s standing took a blow late in the preseason when an ankle sprain, initially treated as minor, turned into a “multi-week injury.”
The demotion only adds more fuel to the trade chatter already circling McCarthy. Around the league, most teams are expecting his future to be somewhere other than Minnesota.
O’Connell has continued to say publicly that he wants to keep working with McCarthy, even as questions about their relationship have lingered. Those rumors have centered on the idea that former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was more attached to the pick than O’Connell, a topic the coach addressed directly earlier this month.
The contract situation adds another layer. Murray is only signed through this season and has a no-tag clause, while McCarthy still has one year left on his rookie deal in 2027. If Minnesota were to move him, the return would be far below the top-10 investment the Vikings made to draft him, with a fourth-rounder mentioned as the best-case range.
There’s also the possibility that McCarthy could seek a trade himself in search of a fresh start.
McCarthy is 23 and came to Minnesota after leading Michigan to a national championship in 2023 and earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. The Vikings selected him No. 10 overall in the 2024 draft.
He signed a four-year, $21,854,796 contract that included a $12,714,396 signing bonus and a fifth-year option for the team to exercise in 2028.
In 2025, McCarthy played in 10 games for the Vikings and completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also ran for 181 yards and four scores.
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