J.J. McCarthy Opens 2026 Season as Minnesota Vikings’ Third-String Quarterback

By Kevin Seifert | ESPN | September 9, 2026

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback situation has crystallized heading into the 2026 NFL season, and J.J. McCarthy finds himself in an unfamiliar position. Coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed Wednesday that the former first-round pick will open the year as the team’s No. 3 quarterback, a development that underscores just how much the Vikings’ throwing hierarchy has shifted in recent months.

The decision places McCarthy behind Kyler Murray, who won the starting job during training camp, and Carson Wentz, who was selected as Murray’s backup. For a quarterback drafted 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the demotion represents a significant professional setback — though one that follows a turbulent sequence of events the Vikings can barely control.

How the Vikings’ QB Depth Chart Took Shape

McCarthy’s descent down the depth chart did not happen overnight. It was the culmination of a rookie campaign lost to injury, a disappointing return in 2025, and a bold front-office decision to bring in a proven starter on the open market.

When the Vikings bid farewell to Sam Darnold after the 2024 season and were unable to re-sign Daniel Jones, McCarthy became the team’s default starter for 2025 — regardless of whether the organization felt fully confident in his readiness. That inexperience was exposed. According to ESPN’s Total QBR rankings, McCarthy placed 36th of 40 qualified quarterbacks, a figure that painted a stark picture of the growing pains he endured.

Rather than commit to a long-term plan built entirely around the young quarterback’s development, general manager Nolan Teasley and O’Connell took a decisive step in March, signing Murray to a one-year free agent contract to compete for the job.

“Carson has got almost a hundred career starts. What he was able to do last year from a standpoint of very limited repetition, but being able to apply a career’s worth of experience, that’s kind of what you need to do as a backup quarterback, especially early on when so much of the emphasis is going to be on getting Kyler as comfortable as we can possibly get.” — Kevin O’Connell

Murray’s Arrival Changed Everything

The arrival of Murray fundamentally rearranged the Vikings’ quarterback room. When O’Connell announced on August 11 that Murray had won the competition, he described McCarthy as the No. 2 quarterback at that moment — still a meaningful role, but one that would not hold for long.

McCarthy’s struggles in the preseason only accelerated the shift. Across two appearances, he completed just 9 of 17 passes, showing inconsistency at critical moments. During an August 22 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, he missed multiple open receivers in the red zone before leaving early with an ankle injury. The Vikings had hoped he would play in their third preseason game on August 28 at the Denver Broncos, but a source told ESPN that McCarthy told staff members he did not feel comfortable playing.

By that point, close observers widely believed that Wentz had already moved ahead of McCarthy on the organizational ladder.

McCarthy’s Injury History and the Rookie Season Lost

Context is essential to understanding where McCarthy stands today. He missed his entire rookie season in 2024 because of a torn meniscus in his right knee, limiting his ability to build continuity with teammates or install the full complexity of O’Connell’s offensive system.

That lost year meant that when the Vikings turned to him as a starter in 2025, they were essentially asking a second-year player to carry a burden typically reserved for veterans. He started 10 games and showed flashes of talent, but the statistical output was difficult to defend.

The ankle injury sustained in late August added yet another physical setback, raising questions about his availability and readiness when the regular season arrived.

A Year Defined by Turnover

Adding to the turbulence, the Vikings kept quarterback Max Brosmer on their initial 53-man roster, which sparked speculation that McCarthy could even be moved off the roster altogether. Brosmer was eventually transferred to the practice squad, but the episode reflected the urgency within the organization to find certainty at the position.

Why Wentz Fits the Backup Role — For Now

O’Connell’s reasoning for choosing Wentz over McCarthy was straightforward and experience-driven. With nearly 100 career starts, Wentz brings a steadiness that the coaching staff values, particularly during a season where the emphasis is on integrating a new starting quarterback.

The Vikings are banking on Wentz’s ability to step in without missing a beat should Murray encounter any issues. It is a pragmatic decision, not a permanent statement about McCarthy’s long-term ceiling.

O’Connell Stands Behind McCarthy’s Future

Despite the Week 1 demotion, O’Connell has been vocal about McCarthy’s professionalism and trajectory. He noted that he has had multiple positive conversations with the quarterback — before, during, and after the competition — and that he remains committed to McCarthy’s growth.

“There’s always a big picture,” O’Connell said, “that’s probably a larger scale and a larger mentality than the Week 1 depth chart.”

The coach highlighted McCarthy’s 10 NFL starts, his raw talent, and his work ethic as qualities that make him a worthwhile investment of the Vikings’ time and resources. O’Connell also confirmed that the depth chart at quarterback will be revisited weekly, leaving the door open for movement as the season progresses.

General manager Nolan Teasley echoed that sentiment, publicly stating the previous week that he expected McCarthy to remain on the roster when the season began. That assurance, combined with O’Connell’s visible support, suggests the organization views this as a temporary rather than permanent reassignment.

What This Means for the Vikings Season

The Vikings face a familiar challenge: integrating a new starter while managing the expectations of a promising young quarterback who has yet to fulfill his draft position. Murray’s one-year deal means there is no long-term commitment tying the franchise to his play, which adds pressure on him to validate the investment.

For McCarthy, the path forward requires patience. The competitive nature of the NFL and the weekly revisit to the depth chart mean that an injury or a few strong practice performances could quickly change his role. The 2025 season taught everyone involved hard lessons about what the organization needs from its quarterback — and what McCarthy still needs to prove.

The season opener against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday will be the first real test of this new hierarchy. Whether it remains static or shifts in the coming weeks will depend on performance, health, and how quickly Murray and the offense find their rhythm.

What is certain is that McCarthy’s journey through his first two NFL seasons has been anything but straightforward. The 2026 campaign represents either a reset or a reckoning — and the Vikings are betting that the former is still possible.

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