J.J. McCarthy's Position on Vikings' Depth Chart With Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz Revealed by HC

After entering the 2025 season as the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy received a major demotion ahead of the beginning of the 2026 campaign.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Carson Wentz will serve as the backup behind starting signal-caller Kyler Murray in Sunday's season opener against the Green Bay Packers, relegating McCarthy to the team's third-string quarterback. O'Connell added that Minnesota's backup quarterback will be determined on a week-to-week basis.

The No. 10 pick in 2024, McCarthy was the highest-drafted quarterback in Vikings franchise history. Unfortunately, a torn meniscus in the preseason made him the first quarterback chosen in the first round to miss his entire rookie campaign due to injury in the NFL's modern draft era.

It looked like McCarthy was Minnesota's quarterback of the future when he helped the team overcome an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in its 2025 season opener against the Chicago Bears, scoring three late touchdowns to spearhead the victory. However, the wheels quickly fell off, as he was limited to 10 games due to ankle and hand injuries and finished with pedestrian numbers of 1,632 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The writing was on the wall that McCarthy's spot on the depth chart wasn't safe when the Vikings signed Murray following his departure from the Arizona Cardinals. The two signal-callers were expected to have a quarterback competition throughout the offseason, but O'Connell named Murray as Minnesota's starting quarterback four days before the team's first preseason game last month.

Now, McCarthy will have to sit and watch as Murray and Wentz get the bulk of the action in preparation for Sunday's game against the Packers. Learning behind a pair of veterans could turn out to be a blessing for the 23-year-old as he tries to bounce back from a disappointing start to his career.