J.J. McCarthy don find imsef for serious wahala for Minnesota Vikings. Di young quarterback wey dem pick for first round for 2024, don dey struggle to secure im place for team as di roster deadline dey approach. E enter training camp dey battle Kyler Murray for di starting job, but e no fit beat am. Murray na di QB1 now, and di talk na say Carson Wentz don overtake McCarthy as di backup.
McCarthy no fit play for di final preseason game because of ankle injury. Im preseason stats no shine at all: e complete only 9 of 17 passes for 115 yards, dem sack am twice, and out of seven drives, six end for punt, while di other one end for turnover on downs for di 1-yard line. Dem list am as backup on di unofficial depth chart, but all indication na say Wentz don win dat role.
Di Athletic reporter Alec Lewis leave McCarthy out of im 53-man roster projection. Lewis talk say di decision na because McCarthy presumably lose di backup job to Wentz. E add say McCarthy comfort (or lack thereof) with being QB3 fit dictate im future for Minnesota.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell no talk any clear thing about McCarthy after di preseason finale against di Broncos. But e mention say dem fit keep four quarterbacks for roster. “I no think e dey out of question wey we try keep all of those guys,” O’Connell tell reporters. “But at di same time, we got to do wetin dey best for our team. So we go work through dat and e go definitely be part of di conversation because there na reason why we wanted to have a deep quarterback room.”
O’Connell also talk say all four quarterbacks get dia moments over di last month and six weeks, so dem go include dat for evaluation as dem dey choose di final 53 and di practice squad. For di 2025 season, Vikings keep three quarterbacks: McCarthy, Wentz, and Brosmer. Dem fit take similar approach for 2026, or dem fit roll with just Murray and Wentz and put Brosmer for practice squad if dem move on from McCarthy.
McCarthy don experience tough preseason for 2026. E complete just 9 of 17 passes (52.9%) for 115 yards, plus two sacks. Di 23-year-old also don dey face questions about im future since im hype as national champion for Michigan. Fans for Minnesota bin believe say Kevin O’Connell fit take di offense to next level with am, especially after di limitations of Kirk Cousins. But after missing im rookie season and den recording more interceptions than touchdowns, e finish at number 34 on PFN’s Quarterback Impact Metric. Dem sign Kyler Murray for free agency, and e quickly become di franchise’s QB1.
Now, as di 53-man roster deadline dey approach, di question na whether dem go cut am, trade am, or keep am as third-string. If dem decide to give am fresh start, McCarthy go presumably draw interest for di open market. One of di top potential landing spots na Miami Dolphins, because dem just trade Quinn Ewers to Jacksonville Jaguars and also waive Cam Miller. So dem need new backup quarterback. Ian Rapoport report say Miami dey market for backup after dem trade Ewers and waive Miller. Fans for social media don dey yarn say McCarthy go fit join Miami. One fan talk, “Might I interest you in one J.J. McCarthy.” Another fan say, “Welcome to Miami, JJ.” Patrick Siepman also believe say McCarthy dey heading to Miami.
But na only Miami dey interested. Jim Harbaugh, wey coach McCarthy to national championship for Michigan, dey coach di Chargers now. E don be lukewarm about im backup quarterbacks Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei, so e fit relish chance to get McCarthy back on track behind Justin Herbert. For Browns, dem get plenty youth for quarterback like Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Taylen Green. Dem no get proven high-level starter, so taking gamble on McCarthy’s upside as former first-round pick fit be worthwhile for Todd Monken.
Falcons get competition between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, but Penix dey recover from torn ACL. Tagovailoa no impress for preseason, so Atlanta fit consider targeting McCarthy to add more youth to dat battle. Lions backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater retire on eve of di 2026 NFL season. Dem replace am with Joshua Dobbs, but adding McCarthy behind Jared Goff fit be good long-term investment. McCarthy fit even relish chance to return to Michigan and hone im skills for Dan Campbell’s quarterback-friendly offensive system.
