JJM..."ankle not 100%"
J.J. McCarthy's status iffy as Vikings QB says ankle not 100%
Kevin Seifert/ESPN
Oct 15, 2025, 07:19 PM ET
EAGAN, Minn. -- J.J. McCarthy's high right ankle sprain is "getting there" but is not yet 100%, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback said Wednesday in his first comments since suffering the injury Sept. 14.
McCarthy also revealed that he received "well-respected second opinions" that indicated his timetable to return could be up to six weeks. He was limited in practice Wednesday.
While coach Kevin O'Connell hasn't named a starter for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Wednesday's circumstances indicated that Carson Wentz is in line to make his fourth consecutive start.
Wentz, who has been dealing with a sore left shoulder, was a full participant Wednesday.
McCarthy called the ankle injury "really annoying." When asked if he thinks he is at a point where he could play, he joked that he would play even if his ankle were cut off.
"But we've got to be smart here," McCarthy added, "and understand there's a lot of things that go into play, and at the end of the day, I'm just going to do what I'm told and try to get better as fast as possible."
O'Connell has said he wants McCarthy to be 100% recovered when he returns to the lineup, in part to ensure he can carry his lower-body mechanics and footwork into a game. O'Connell and other offensive coaches took McCarthy through a series of throwing workouts during the Vikings' bye week in what appears to be a process that isn't designed to be quick.
Asked what he is looking to see from McCarthy this week, O'Connell said: "I think the big thing is just getting him back on the grass in uniform, practicing, getting real live reps of a pass rush and taking drops and applying some of the things that he's worked really hard on as of late as he's kind of gotten to that phase of his rehab. Then when he does that, instant dialogue about what he's able to do and what it felt like and, 'Hey, let's log that away.' And then if he doesn't do the same thing, it's going to be . I'm having a blast coaching him. It started last week when he was able to really start ramping up a little bit as he gets there and that one-on-one work and then obviously the work he does with is going to be critical."
Wentz has led the Vikings to a 2-1 record since McCarthy's injury. Wentz's shoulder injury was the result of a hard hit he took at the end of a scramble during the Vikings' 21-17 victory in Week 5 over the Cleveland Browns.
At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, Wentz has always been a physical player. He joked Wednesday that he will reemphasize a long-held pledge to limit the hits he takes.
"It's definitely something you think about," he said. "It's just in the heat of the moment, how do you think? How does your mind work? What instincts take over? And so it's always something I come back to and watch film and it's like, 'That was probably dumb. I've got to be better. I've got to learn.' "I hate to say it, but I've been saying that to myself for 10 years. But still, always room to grow, and when next time I slide, I'll be just as hyped as everybody else."
Please God, just one Lombardi before I die.
6 wks post the Falcons game would mean 1st start at Lions (11/2). My guess was at Chargers.
I hope he's getting the snakebite out of his system...
IF he stays healthy? That gives the team 10 games to try and get a bead on the kid;
at Lions
Ravens
Bears
at GB
at Seattle
Commanders
at Cowboys
at Giants
Lions
Packers
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Exactly how many players on any NFL roster after 1/3 of the season are 100% ?
Asking for a friend
I personally would love to see JJM back on the field and hopefully playing lights out! However, this little soap opera has gone on long enough. I'm mentally putting JJM on the PUP and looking forward to seeing if Wentz can lead the team on a run. I'm pulling for the QB that will be playing now. Git 'er done Carson! JJM will have his day some time down the road...
Vanguard83 wrote:
Exactly how many players on any NFL roster after 1/3 of the season are 100% ?Asking for a friend
I thought the exact same thing. But it is different when we have a capable backup (been a while for Viking fans) and JJ is the QBOTF. Don't want him to develop bad habits while favoring an ankle, don't want to get him gunshy from taking hits because his mobility is limited. I would say, if he had been playing the last few weeks and his ankle was in this condition, he would still play. But since he is working back, no sense making the change too early.
Dr. Barreiro losing patience...
Day 32. And clearly not ready. https://t.co/g4xkv88TgO
— Dan Barreiro (@DanBarreiroKFAN) October 16, 2025
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
MaroonBells wrote:
Dr. Barreiro losing patience...https://x.com/DanBarreiroKFAN/status/1978940065981010262
Meh he is a curmudgeon that's his schtick. If JJM is not ready so be it. It's so weird because I had accepted that this was a learning year and not to have expectations. Meh whatever.
You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it. - Robin Williams _
You can book it that JJM does not start again until after the Chargers. KOC was pretty clear that he was going to baby McCarthy. If JJM were a vet, he'd be starting this week, I have zero doubt. The idea that JJM has to be 100% was always code to allow KOC maximum control over the dialogue on his QB's. Next week it will be a combination of the ankle still needing time and the short week. It's Wentz's team for the next 2 weeks, absent an injury to him. The tell-tale will be whether JJM is the emergency QB this week or fully "out" as he was for Cleveland.
"Matthew Stafford missed 19 of his first 32 games and completed less than 55% of his passes, had more INTs than TDs and had a passer rating of 67."
On another note: is anyone[i] really[/i] excited about watching Wentz today? I have zero excitement about this...I also expect Saquon to pound the piss out of the D and U.S. Bank will sound like a tomb.
[img]https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/5ND7473EKFEWBJSL76K54UHX34.jpeg[/img]
StickierBuns wrote:
"Matthew Stafford missed 19 of his first 32 games and completed less than 55% of his passes, had more INTs than TDs and had a passer rating of 67."On another note: is anyone really excited about watching Wentz today? I have zero excitement about this...I also expect Saquon to pound the piss out of the D and U.S. Bank will sound like a tomb.
No, Wentz does nothing for me either...We're 3/2 but it feels like a tenuous 3/2. Dont trust em yet to win big games. This is as healthy as they've been in a while, so maybe they'll surprise.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Yeah, this is a game where the Eagles desperately need a win, and if they play their game and we don't play ours, they will beat us. But that would be true if we were playing the 0-6 Jets too. Dangerous team, but not the team they were last year.
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
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