Minnesota Vikings surprisingly demote former first-round pick JJ McCarthy to third string

That's because Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell named Carson Wentz the team's backup quarterback for Sunday's home game against the Green Bay Packers.And on Aug.11, O’Connell named Kyler Murray the starter for Sunday’s game and the foreseeable future.VIKINGS QB BATTLE MEETS EXPECTED END AS KYLER MURRAY STARTS OVER MCCARTHYMinnesota Vikings quarterback J.J.

McCarthy looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Dec.14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)O’Connell told reporters Wentz would serve as the backup, and the team later released its depth chart, listing McCarthy behind him.Wentz was deemed more prepared to step in if Murray cannot play."I'm looking at that right now as a week-to-week thing," O'Connell said.

"Carson, he's got almost 100 career starts.What he was able to do last year from the standpoint of very limited repetitions but being able to apply a career's worth of experience, that's kind of what you need to do as a backup quarterback — especially early on when so much of the emphasis is going to be on getting Kyler as comfortable as we can possibly get him."But J.J.

is still going to get a bunch of great work..."Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J.McCarthy (9) rushes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field on Sept.

8, 2025.(Matt Marton/Imagn Images)McCarthy's work will be mostly running some of the scout team for the Vikings, particularly during weeks they face a more mobile quarterback.And that is a mighty fall for McCarthy, who was drafted in 2024 with expectations he would eventually be the team's franchise quarterback.This announcement is merely the latest in a series of setbacks McCarthy has faced since the Vikings selected him No.

10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!J.J.

McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after being sacked during the third quart...