Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed the preseason finale against the Denver Broncos due to a minor ankle injury. ESPN's Kevin Seifert confirmed that this setback sidelined the former top-10 draft pick amid ongoing trade speculation and a challenging summer behind starting quarterback Kyler Murray.

McCarthy's tough stretch continued into the regular season. As the Vikings prepared to host their divisional rivals, the Green Bay Packers, for a crucial Week 1 matchup, the coaching staff officially finalized the depth chart behind Murray, leaving McCarthy on the sidelines.

In their official game-day roster announcement on X, the Vikings listed McCarthy as inactive for Week 1, along with cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn, safety Jakobe Thomas, running back Demond Claiborne, center Nick Samac, tackle Caleb Tiernan, and defensive lineman Elijah Williams. With McCarthy designated as inactive and in street clothes, veteran backup Carson Wentz will serve as Murray’s primary backup against the Packers. This decision underscores the coaching staff's preference for veteran experience over placing McCarthy into live game action while he addresses his developmental and physical challenges.

Article Continues Below

The situation highlights how significantly Minnesota’s quarterback room has changed since training camp began. Initially, the front office surprised the league by keeping four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster during cutdown day, but they quickly simplified the roster by waiving Max Brosmer. Although Minnesota chose not to trade McCarthy after he lost the summer competition to Murray, his designation as a healthy scratch in Week 1 demonstrates that the franchise is in no hurry to place the former first-round pick back in the spotlight.