JJ McCarthy suffers the ultimate humiliation as he plummets from Vikings’ starter to third string
Not only did JJ McCarthy lose the Minnesota Vikings quarterback battle to starter Kyler Murray this offseason but he has also failed to nail down the second-string position.
McCarthy, who was selected by the Vikings with the No 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has been listed as Minnesota’s third-stringer ahead of the 2026 season kicking off this week.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced today that Carson Wentz will be the No. 2 quarterback in Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
‘I’m looking at that right now as a week-to-week thing, and Carson has almost 100 career starts,’ O’Connell said.
‘J.J. is still going to get a bunch of great work. . . . This gives us the best chance to win this Sunday.’
The Vikings officially named Murray the Week 1 starter for the 2026 season after training camp last month, relegating last year’s starter McCarthy to the bench.
More to follow.