JJ McCarthy drops out of final chance to impress to leave Kevin O’Connell frustrated

J.J. McCarthy’s future with the Minnesota Vikings looks to be on a knife edge.

The 2024 first-round pick lost the starting quarterback job to new arrival Kyler Murray and is now competing for a place as the backup with both Max Brosmer and veteran Carson Wentz.

Getty

However, McCarthy’s chances of locking up that role were hampered when he was ruled out of the Vikings’ final preseason game against the Denver Broncos – a game in which they suffered a 34-6 defeat – with an ankle injury.

He sustained the minor injury in the Vikings’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens on August 22.

According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell had initially planned for the young signal caller to start the game, and play him for the entire first half.

“Reps are so massive, and just couldn’t get him turned over. Couldn’t get him there,” O’Connell said.

Brosmer got the starting nod instead, where he completed 20-of-35 of his passes for 165 yards.

McCarthy took part in light practices on Monday and Tuesday, but sat out of Wednesday and just did not feel able to go out onto the field.

This has led to some believing that his time in Minnesota has run its course.

“Something is just way off here. I think he gets traded. He should be fighting for his life/career to play,” one fan posted to X.

“I’ve been a defender since day one but it’s over for him. Can’t even showcase anything in the preseason or stay healthy for a game,” a second user commented.

“He will be in a different team within a month regardless,” a third added.

Getty

Getty

McCarthy’s rocky tenure in Minnesota

It had previously been revealed that the former Michigan Wolverines star had been sharing second-team reps in practice with Wentz as O’Connell and the Vikings coaching staff decide who will play backup to Murray in 2026.

With other reports suggesting that he could even slip down to third on the depth chart, McCarthy could yet find himself omitted from the final 53-man roster entirely.

This comes after two tumultuous seasons in the NFL since his arrival to the league as the 10th overall pick in 2024.

The NCAA National Champion missed his entire rookie campaign due to a torn meniscus, while in 2025, his debut season was marred by a high ankle sprain and concussion.

This limited the 23-year-old to just 10 games, where he failed to live up to the hype.

He completed just 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

McCarthy rushed for an additional 181 yards and four scores.

With the deadline for NFL teams to submit their 53-man rosters for the upcoming season looming, it remains to be seen whether McCarthy makes the cut, or whether he could be looking for another team.