Minnesota Vikings QB JJ McCarthy’s promising beginning to the 2025 season has been abruptly halted. Though head coach Kevin O’Connell had positive news about the rehabilitation of McCarthy, his words also belied the conservatism of the team and skepticism about the trajectory of the career of the young signal-caller. O’Connell discussed McCarthy’s health at a media press conference, praising the quarterback for his attitude while sitting out.

“He’s responding well early on to treatment and things; he’s in a boot and letting that ankle settle when not getting treatment. He’s still heavily involved in meetings and installs and everything. He had great energy and enthusiasm to kind of attack it in any way he can,” the coach said. McCarthy has been busy attending the team meeting, watching film, and working according to the playbook with his teammates.

Kevin O’Connell said his work off the field is most important to finding rhythm and getting to know the offense in between games. That level of dedication is a reflection of McCarthy’s desire to keep getting better after the injury. It is also a sign of a work ethic that Vikings coaches would love to instill enthusiastically.

McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain during the Vikings’ Week 2 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons on “Sunday Night Football.” O’Connell stated that the injury isn’t coming across as a season-ending injury or an abbreviated injured reserve stint, but serious enough that it will keep McCarthy away from the team for roughly two to four weeks. Reports indicated that he’ll sit out for three games in a row against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland before possibly getting back in Week 7 against Philadelphia.

The mending of the young quarterback will need to be done progressively to make sure that there is no relapse. High ankle sprains are notoriously critical, with rest, restricted mobility, and strengthening followed up by a return to full practice.

This loss is one of a continuing trend of disrupted development. Picked 10th overall in 2024, he missed his entire rookie season due to a strained meniscus in his right knee. Even prior to this latest misfortune, playing time has been minimal and rocky for him, so this latest injury is especially frustrating.

However, the positives in recovery, Kevin doesn’t want to pressure the QB.

Kevin O’Connell on the next starting QB decision

When asked about the QBs, Kevin O’Connell replied: ”Carson [Wentz] will start, Max [Brosmer] is the backup. With the rules being what they are, with the emergency third quarterback, we wanted to have one based upon just the early aspect of our season. We’re pretty deep into some position groupings as it is, so we wanted to make sure we could at least get a guy that has played before and Desmond [Ridder] had a great workout….he’ll be that emergency No. 3 on Sunday.” By referencing other possibilities, O’Connell hinted that while McCarthy is still crucial for the offense, the Vikings are ready for situations in which the young quarterback isn’t available.

Carson Wentz completed just 118 yards during the 2024 regular season, ranking 65th in the league, and had no interceptions. With J.J. McCarthy out, Wentz is now the team’s starter and can revive a career, as he has been a backup for a few years now, going through the Rams, Chiefs, and now the Vikings. With Wentz’s injury history, the Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell have to be aware that undrafted rookie Brosmer might see duty sooner rather than later, even if he did go undrafted. Earlier this preseason, Brosmer threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns.

The move, conservative for the team front office, does cast a shadow over McCarthy’s professional development arc, given that he has a few NFL snaps. In only two games, McCarthy has 41 pass attempts and played only 95 snaps with a league-low QBR of 20.1. As he’s expected to miss a few games, the second-year QB has to make sure that this gap doesn’t hinder his development.

As the sprained ankle can hold him back and pressure the Vikings on their quarterback depth, the team is forced to carry veteran backups in order to ensure offensive continuity. McCarthy’s commitment to meetings and installs might be a display of professionalism and patience, but his absence raises concern about his availability.