The Minnesota Vikings have demoted quarterback J.J. McCarthy to third string ahead of Sunday’s home opener against the Green Bay Packers, naming veteran Carson Wentz as the team’s backup quarterback instead.
Coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed the move to reporters, and the team’s official depth chart lists McCarthy behind Wentz. The decision comes just weeks after O’Connell named Kyler Murray the starting quarterback on Aug. 11, ending a competition that had shadowed McCarthy since he arrived in Minnesota.
O’Connell said Wentz’s experience made him the safer choice to step in if Murray is unavailable.
“I’m looking at that right now as a week-to-week thing,” O’Connell said. “Carson, he’s got almost 100 career starts. What he was able to do last year from the standpoint of very limited repetitions 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 him. But J.J. is still going to get a bunch of great work…”
According to the report, McCarthy’s practice time will now largely consist of running scout-team offense, particularly in weeks the Vikings prepare to face a mobile opposing quarterback.
A Steep Fall for a Former Top Pick
The demotion marks a significant setback for McCarthy, whom the Vikings selected 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft after trading up, passing over Bo Nix, who has since become Denver’s starting quarterback.
McCarthy never took a snap as a rookie. He tore the meniscus in his right knee during Minnesota’s first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, an injury that sidelined him for the entire season while Sam Darnold led the Vikings through a playoff run.
McCarthy finally took over as Minnesota’s starter in 2025 and opened strong, engineering a fourth-quarter comeback win at Chicago that earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. But his season deteriorated from there. He struggled with turnovers, suffered a concussion and other injuries, and finished the year with 11 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions.
This offseason, rather than committing to McCarthy as their long-term answer, the Vikings signed Murray to compete for the job — a signal that further complicated McCarthy’s path to the starting role.
What It Means Going Forward
Murray is set to become a free agent after this season, and the Vikings are widely expected to re-sign him if he performs well, having already watched Darnold leave in free agency after a strong 2024 season and go on to win the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. That history suggests Minnesota won’t let Murray walk under similar circumstances.
If Murray plays well and re-signs, McCarthy could remain buried on the depth chart for the remainder of his time with the team, regardless of how the coaching staff frames his role now.
“I’m really excited to get a chance to continue to work with him,” O’Connell said of McCarthy. “Want to make it week-to-week so when we need to declare something different, we can and we will. This gives us the best chance to win this Sunday.”
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