How the mighty have fallen in Minnesota. The Vikings let Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold walk in free agency last year because of their faith in J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan. Now, he's not even the Vikings' backup quarterback to open the 2026 season.
Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Wednesday that 33-year-old Carson Wentz will back up starter Kyler Murray in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, meaning McCarthy will be the third QB. That means McCarthy might not even be active on game day.
The reason for McCarthy's tumble down the depth chart is simple: his own play in 2025. He finished last in the NFL in completion rate (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12) and passer rating (72.6) last season. That made McCarthy the only first-round pick quarterback since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to finish last in the NFL in completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio in his debut season, per CBS Sports Research.
Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has announced that Carson Wentz will serve as the team's backup QB on Sunday and that J.J. McCarthy will serve as the 3rd QB.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 9, 2026
O'Connell says it'll be a week-to-week thing as far as the backup QB spot goes. pic.twitter.com/Uw6yYAkBSm
However, this decision doesn't mean McCarthy won't see the field in 2026. Both Murray and Wentz are injury prone at the current stage of their respective careers. From 2022 to 2025, Murray missed 30 of his possible 68 games. Wentz hasn't played double-digit games in a season since 2022. The hope for the Vikings is that if McCarthy plays this season that he'll play well enough to be able to be flipped for a Day 3 draft pick. It's obvious O'Connell is done with him. Wednesday's announcement makes that notion abundantly clear.
