The Minnesota Vikings have already decided that JJ McCarthy won’t be the team’s starting quarterback, but speculation has now begun that he could fall all the way to the third-string and remain there absent much interest on the open market.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote as much on Monday, August 17 in a piece of predictive analysis that wasn’t flattering to the 23-year-old McCarthy in any way and painted a grim picture of his NFL future, whether it is in Minnesota or elsewhere.
“There continues to be a question swirling as to whether the Vikings will trade McCarthy,” Florio wrote. “For now, no obvious trade partner exists. McCarthy’s performance from Saturday won’t make the phone ring off the hook.”
McCarthy said recently that he wants to remain in Minnesota, even after the disappointment of losing what was his starting job for the 10 games he wasn’t injured in 2025 to newcomer Kyler Murray.
“This is the place I want to be,” McCarthy said last week, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “And I love every single person in this building. I love the state. I love the fanbase. And I’m going to continue to just do whatever I can for this team and this organization.”
Carson Wentz Could Surpass JJ McCarthy for QB2 Role Behind Kyler Murray
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz.
McCarthy’s tune may change if he falls to the QB3 role, which Florio also suggested is a reasonable outcome at this stage in the process.
Carson Wentz outplayed McCarthy during the Vikings’ preseason opener against the New York Giants and was also arguably better across five starts in 2025 than McCarthy was over his 10 starts last season.
Wentz completed 9-of-14 pass attempts for 81 yards and a TD on Saturday, August 15. Meanwhile, McCarthy was 4-of-7 passing for 34 yards and took one sack. The Vikings’ offense mustered a first down on just one of McCarthy’s three series at the helm.
“Wentz performed well after McCarthy was injured in Week 2 of the 2025 season, even though Wentz wasn’t signed until after the Vikings pulled the plug on both Sam Howell and Brett Rypien after the preseason ended,” Florio continued. “The Vikings could trust him again to be the understudy to the starter.”
McCarthy finished last year with a record of 6-4. He completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs. Wentz went 2-3, connecting on 65.1 percent of his pass attempts for 1,216 yards, six TDs and five INTs.
Vikings Would Tank JJ McCarthy’s Trade Value Even Further by Demoting Him to QB3
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
Bumping McCarthy down to third-string is an outcome that represents essentially the last hit his trade value could take, as it is already probably at its low point since Minnesota drafted him No. 10 overall in April 2024.
The Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah earlier this year after four seasons in the job, in large part because of his decision to acquire and promote McCarthy rather than sticking with now Super Bowl Champion Sam Darnold following a Pro Bowl campaign in 2024, during which Minnesota went 14-3 and made the playoffs.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has moved on to a new starting QB, as his job could potentially be in danger if the offense struggles again in 2026.
There probably isn’t a team that will look to trade for McCarthy and make him the starter right away, which means most likely a Day 3 asset (Rounds 4-7) in return — at least at this point.
Even if Wentz is the better option and the player the team might turn to if Murray struggles or gets injured, it could make sense for the Vikings to keep McCarthy ostensibly in the No. 2 spot just to buoy his value as long as Murray remains the starter.
If and when Murray is no longer QB1, Minnesota would have a decision to make that would reveal its hand as far as Wentz and McCarthy are concerned.
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