J.J. McCarthy not guaranteed to win Vikings' QB2 job

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

J.J. McCarthy not guaranteed to win Vikings' QB2 job

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Aug 19, 2026 4:34 PM ET

As expected, the Minnesota Vikings turned to veteran Kyler Murray for their quarterback competition.

That left former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy as the backup, but some believe he might not even be the second-best quarterback on the roster.

So far, McCarthy has been with the second team, with veteran Carson Wentz as the third-stringer.

When asked whether that would remain the plan, head coach Kevin O'Connell hinted that everything would be earned, not given.

J.J. McCarthy has to keep earning his QB2 reps

“He has taken all the [No. 2] reps in practice, and he’s done really well,” O’Connell said. “But I want those guys feeling like they’re competing. The philosophy around making our quarterback room competitive … that’s what we want throughout that quarterback room.”

#Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell confirms that JJ McCarthy is currently QB 2 and Carson Wentz is QB 3. pic.twitter.com/uE2xRTjzTe
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 19, 2026

While that doesn't mean McCarthy will lose the top backup job, this is definitely telling. Even with Murray taking the No. 1 spot, O'Connell wants to keep pushing the team's former first-round pick to show what he's capable of.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the plan won't change in the near future. Murray can struggle, and he's reportedly had a tough time getting ahold of the offense, which could leave them back to square one.

McCarthy can also keep losing ground, and the team might look to flip him to a quarterback-needy team looking to take a flier on a development project.

That type of uncertainty should only keep the Michigan product on his toes, for better or worse. The ball's in his court; he just has to earn it.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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