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Vikings Relegate Healthy JJ McCarthy to QB3?
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- Vikings Relegate Healthy JJ McCarthy to QB3?
Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings will play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and JJ McCarthy will be in uniform and active for the first time since week two. Unfortunately, he will not start under center.
While the Vikings have deemed their redshirt rookie healthy enough to dress this weekend, off a high ankle sprain that's kept him out of the lineup since week 2 , they've made it very clear they do not want him taking a snap in that contest either… unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.
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Minnesota Vikings announced JJ McCarthy as emergency QB3
On Friday, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced during his end-of-week press conference that — not only will McCarthy sit behind starter Carson Wentz on Sunday — but he'll be marked down on the depth chart as QB3, behind former Gopher Max Brosmer .
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JJ landed on the MN Vikings final injury report this week as "Questionable" but KOC said he "feels good about him being available", but that the No. 10 overall selection of the 2024 NFL Draft will serve as Minnesota's emergency QB against the Eagles, meaning he can only be called upon if both Brosmer and Wentz can't play.
Carson Wentz will start at QB on Sunday. Max Brosmer will serve as the backup and J.J. McCarthy will be the emergency 3rd QB. pic.twitter.com/KcV3LkjGI7
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 17, 2025
Related: MN Vikings Superstar Pulls Crazy Prank on GM
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It's feeling more and more like the Vikings are leaning toward sitting JJ McCarthy until after they return from their Thursday night game week 8 in LA , against the Chargers. O'Connell told reporters that he feels really good about where McCarthy is, and how proud he is of the work the 22-year-old has put in, so far, during this recovery.
But if JJ isn't ready to get back on the field right now, then it doesn't make sense to put him out there on a short week of practice, when you could have 10 days to get him ready between than matchup and your week 9 game in Detroit against the division rival Lions.
Vikings fans: Don't hold your breath McCarthy's return
McCarthy was listed as "Limited" on the Minnesota Vikings injury report all week . Wentz, meanwhile, was a "Full" participant all week and does not have an injury designation going into Sunday.
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But if you are a Vikings fan frustrated by this news, or champing at the bit to see more of JJ McCarthy, I caution you to brace for a longer wait that goes beyond week 8. How long, you ask? Well, not that long… hopefully.
A couple days ago, local columnist Chip Scoggins (Star Tribune) pointed to that November 2 game in Detroit as the likely target date for McCarthy's return. If he isn't preparing to start week 9, then there are all sorts of questions the head coach will have to answer.
Eyes, ears and gut tell me that Carson Wentz will remain the starter for at least one more game and quite possibly longer…Realistically, O'Connell has a two-week buffer before McCarthy's status becomes a larger story.
Assuming Wentz starts Sunday, a quarterback change seems unlikely next week considering the Vikings will have only one practice day before playing Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Chargers.
That puts a spotlight on the Nov. 2 game in Detroit. McCarthy's ankle should be fully healthy by then. Two weeks in an NFL season can feel like an eternity because so much can change.
Kevin O'Connell and the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff have been working with JJ McCarthy on his fundamentals, after noting the issues he's been having reading defenses and keeping his feet tied to his eyes, as he goes through progressions.
The head coach has reiterated ( sometimes not so nicely ) that he will not put McCarthy back out there until he is ready, not just from a health standpoint, but from a QB fundamentals standpoint too. And he certainly put his money where his mouth is today.
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