Vikings share massive McCarthy, Wentz update amid rumors

Shortly after Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell named free-agent signing Kyler Murray the team’s Week 1 starting quarterback, whispers surfaced suggesting that veteran Carson Wentz could enter the regular season as the Vikings’ primary backup over 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy. 

According to O’Connell, McCarthy will head into the Vikings’ preseason game versus the Baltimore Ravens this coming Saturday as Minnesota’s QB2. 

Vikings still want J.J. McCarthy to prepare like a starter?

“We want Carson feeling like he can do the things consistently that he can do, and that we know exactly who and what he is,” O’Connell said about that decision, per Steve Hoikkala of Heavy. “And we want J.J. feeling like, ‘I’m one snap away, so I’ve got to prepare like I’m the starter anyway.’ It’s easy to say those things, but we wanted to have a room that forced it.”

While Murray and Blake Brandel have endured some issues regarding center-quarterback exchanges in recent practices, there remains no sign that O’Connell is having second thoughts about the QB1 spot on his depth chart. As for McCarthy, the Vikings reportedly want “to keep developing” the once-promising prospect. For what it’s worth, McCarthy likely has no real value as a tradable asset this summer. 

J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz still battling for QB2 job

Interestingly, O’Connell was careful not to guarantee anything about the QB2 gig. 

“We’ll see how these next couple of weeks play out, and we’re going to do what’s best for our team, and proud of the way J.J.’s handled the last few days,” O’Connell added during his comments.

Unlike with a starter, a QB2 doesn’t necessarily need extra time working with a portion of the offense in summer practices leading up to a regular-season opener. Thus, O’Connell could and may extend the competition for the backup job involving McCarthy and Wentz through Minnesota’s preseason finale at the Denver Broncos on Aug. 28. 

If nothing else, the fact that there is a question about whether or not McCarthy will enter Week 1 as Minnesota’s QB2 shows how far he has fallen since he was drafted in the spring of 2024.