J.J. McCarthy will open the 2026 season as a member of the Minnesota Vikings after all.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the former first-round quarterback finished roster-cut deadline day on the 53-man roster, quieting days of speculation that Minnesota might trade him or simply let him go.
The decision arrives after a difficult summer. McCarthy entered camp competing with newly signed Kyler Murray for the starting job and lost it in mid-August. Murray’s experience and ability to push the ball downfield won out over McCarthy’s inconsistency.
The 23-year-old then spent the rest of the preseason battling veteran Carson Wentz for the backup role. An ankle injury suffered against Baltimore in the second exhibition game limited his practice time and kept him out of the finale in Denver. Wentz started that game and looked the more reliable option.
McCarthy’s preseason numbers were modest: 9-of-17 for 115 yards across limited snaps.
Those developments fueled reports that McCarthy might not be comfortable as the third quarterback. The Vikings already had four passers on the roster, including Max Brosmer, and keeping three on the 53-man squad is a luxury few teams choose. Some projections left McCarthy off the initial roster entirely.
His contract, however, offered little cap savings if he were released, and the organization still sees developmental value in the Michigan product it selected tenth overall in 2024.
McCarthy’s path has been anything but smooth. A knee injury wiped out his entire rookie year. In 2025 he started ten games, going 6-4 while throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Another ankle issue cost him five more games that season. The repeated absences, combined with the arrival of two veterans this offseason, left his standing inside the building uncertain.
Making the roster buys him time and security, at least for now. It does not resolve the larger questions. Murray remains the starter. Wentz appears to have the edge as the primary backup.
McCarthy must now prove he can stay healthy, sharpen his accuracy, and accept a reduced role while waiting for an opportunity that may not come unless Murray’s well-documented injury history surfaces again.
Coach Kevin O’Connell has said the staff will continue evaluating health and performance before locking in the final depth chart.
For a player who once looked like the franchise’s future, the next few months will test patience as much as talent. Minnesota has chosen not to move on yet.
Whether that choice becomes a long-term commitment or merely a short-term holding pattern will depend on what McCarthy does with the chance he just received.
