J.J. McCarthy’s time with the Minnesota Vikings has taken another unexpected turn. The former first-round pick entered the franchise with a clear path to develop, but the start of his third season has brought a very different reality.

McCarthy missed his entire rookie season after a torn meniscus and then made 10 starts in 2025. He finished that season with 1,632 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while also dealing with multiple injuries. Now, with Kyler Murray starting and Carson Wentz ahead of him on the Week 1 depth chart, questions about McCarthy’s place in Minnesota’s plans have only grown.

That is where Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson sees the biggest problem for McCarthy. “He’s a project. But right now, we don’t have time to deal with the project,” Chad Johnson said. “Owners, teams, and coaches, we want to win right now because players like that, with the inconsistencies JJ McCarthy played with last year, that get you sent home and get you fired.”

The Vikings signed Kyler Murray to a one-year, $1.3 million deal on March 12, 2026, after his release by the Arizona Cardinals. The move gave Minnesota an established quarterback while adding just $1.3 million to its 2026 salary obligations, and O’Connell structured an open competition between Murray and McCarthy during the offseason. He eventually named Murray the team’s QB1 on August 11.

Minnesota originally planned to develop McCarthy rather than rush him into the starting role. The Vikings drafted him No. 10 overall in 2024 after trading up one spot, and the plan initially included a bridge year behind Sam Darnold. But a torn meniscus in the preseason ended McCarthy’s rookie season before he could play a regular-season snap.

O’Connell’s explanation, however, was more measured. “Carson will be the backup on Sunday, and JJ will obviously be the third guy. And really, I’m looking at that right now as a week-to-week thing,” O’Connell said. “Carson, he’s got almost 100 career starts.… Um, 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. Uh, but JJ is, you know, he’s still going to get a bunch of great work. I’m just really excited to continue to get the chance to work with him. We want to make it week-to-week so when we feel like when we need to declare something different, we can and we will.”

O’Connell had also offered a broader view of McCarthy’s development after the quarterback lost the starting job. “As he knows, he’s holding the pen on his story. And we’re going to support him and try to just help him continue to improve as a young player in the most difficult position in sports,” O’Connell said on August 12.

Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley was even more direct about where the organization stands with McCarthy. “J.J. McCarthy’s role is to continue to develop, to improve, and to support his teammates. He’s done an excellent job of that from the moment that I’ve been here, and from my understanding, since he walked in the door,” Teasley said on September 2. When asked if he expected McCarthy to remain on the roster for Week 1, Teasley added: “I do.”

Teasley also pointed to McCarthy’s limited experience and continued development. “He’s really talented. I think I said that from the jump. He was picked in the first round for a reason. Really good arm strength, underrated athlete, and looking forward to how he continues to develop in this system,” Teasley said. “I think the thing you need to keep in mind with J.J. is that he has the hardest job in sport. Okay. He’s only started 10 games, and his story’s not written.”

“Now we Hey, they don’t they don’t plan on giving him no chance. We going with an experienced backup that just it just says that they have no faith in him, bro. Like they’ve given him an opportunity. He didn’t seize the moment,” Joe “Iso Joe” Johnson said on Nightcap.

McCarthy’s 2025 numbers give some context to Johnson’s criticism. He threw for 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 starts, but also finished with 12 interceptions and 14 total turnovers. His season was further disrupted by a high right ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his hand.

But his season did not end without signs of progress. Over his final four starts, McCarthy completed 54 of 84 passes for 703 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions, posting a 100.4 passer rating. He threw three touchdowns against Washington in Week 14 and followed that with 250 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a win at Dallas.