Could Carson Wentz be QB2?

I can see a path where he is very well the 3rd QB this year. It gives him the absolute best road to working on what he needs to for this year. It isn't a bad thing either. This also allows Kyler to be put at ease and just do his thing.

Canthony wrote:

I can see a path where he is very well the 3rd QB this year. It gives him the absolute best road to working on what he needs to for this year. It isn't a bad thing either. This also allows Kyler to be put at ease and just do his thing.

I don’t know what it’s going to take for some people to understand that it’s almost a certainty that JJ McCarthy is not going to be on this team next off-season. This would just be the latest nail in his coffin. A top 10 QB selection heading into his third season and he has been demoted to QB3? I mean….c’mon now. You’d have to be very stubborn on purpose to not see that it’s over. He’s got no future on this team.

I can see him as QB2. Kudos to him for coming back after the injury

StickierBuns wrote:

I don’t know what it’s going to take for some people to understand that it’s almost a certainty that JJ McCarthy is not going to be on this team next off-season. This would just be the latest nail in his coffin. A top 10 QB selection heading into his third season and he has been demoted to QB3? I mean….c’mon now. You’d have to be very stubborn on purpose to not see that it’s over. He’s got no future on this team.

Not sure I am ready to fully make that the conclusion. I am just going to see how it plays out.

I feel there is a growing likelihood that the 2027 starting QB for this team is not on the current roster. It would take a significant Darnold type turnaround for any of them.

I assumed on the day they signed Wentz it was going to be KM 1, Carson 2, and JJ 3 unless they trade JJ, then it would Brosmer 3. I know fans love JJ but he has a long way to go.

McCarthy just doesn't seem to have what it takes to be a QB1 in this league. Hell I'm even doubting he has what it takes to be a QB2. Highly doubt he's a Viking next year unless something clicks for him real soon.

StickierBuns wrote:

I don’t know what it’s going to take for some people to understand that it’s almost a certainty that JJ McCarthy is not going to be on this team next off-season. This would just be the latest nail in his coffin. A top 10 QB selection heading into his third season and he has been demoted to QB3? I mean….c’mon now. You’d have to be very stubborn on purpose to not see that it’s over. He’s got no future on this team.

Best to get a fresh start IMO. Away from the expectations of #10 overall and all the problems that have occurred in purple.

I think when game 1 rolls around he will be QB2

EllerVikes wrote:

I think when game 1 rolls around he will be QB2

That's where I am as of mid-August too...

I still have hope and a flame burning - its just a smaller flame than it used to be.

I'll know when the writing is on the wall, dont think we're there yet.

According to @JasonLaCanfora, JJ McCarthy wants out of Minnesota ASAP... and he even came prepared with a few possible landing spots. https://t.co/niFl4YYpSU

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 16, 2026

StickierBuns wrote:

https://x.com/realmnsportsfan/status/2089115479998702060?s=46&t=ohFAAgt56m6anXyDpx1btQ

So be it. I am fine with it. Either 3rd string or trade him. I think we will see him go the Baker route and Darnold route and bust out later. He is just mentally immature yet.

Wentz is a veteran and seems like a good dude. He's also well past his prime and has been injured far too often to really establish any consistency. He's a solid backup, but he's not the future of this team.

And while he had some good moments, he also had plenty of head-scratching ones. He had two passes batted down at the line despite being 6'5", he missed two TD opportunities by throwing what looked like lame ducks to the front corner of the end zone, and after the Vikings were essentially given 15 extra chances by penalties 😂, he finally dropped a nice ball over to Price, who made an incredible grab.

I'm not saying any of that means Wentz can't be a perfectly capable QB2. It just puts some perspective around the idea that the veteran is clearly the answer while McCarthy is somehow incapable of playing quarterback.

If the conclusion is that McCarthy isn't the future, then honestly, I don't blame him for wanting out. What exactly is he supposed to be fighting for at that point?

IMO, JJ has had an incredibly difficult start to his NFL career, and I still don't think we've seen enough of him to make a definitive judgment. And I continue to find KO's comments about him really strange.

One thing that seems to be getting overlooked is that McCarthy is actively trying to change how he throws the football. He's trying to take some velocity off certain throws and adjust his timing and touch. He's spent his entire life knowing what his "fastball" feels like. Now he's being asked to throw more changeups.

That's going to mess with his timing for a while.

And when he does throw a ball that doesn't look quite right, everyone immediately says, "See? His accuracy is terrible." Well, maybe. Or maybe we're watching a young QB trying to recalibrate something he's never had to recalibrate before.

The bigger issue is that he needs live reps to figure that out. Practice can help with mechanics, timing and reads, but you can't fully recreate game-speed pressure, disguised coverages, anticipation and the consequences of making the wrong decision.

If he gets legitimate game opportunities, I think there's a real possibility that the light eventually comes on. But if the Vikings aren't going to give him those opportunities, then I completely understand why he would want to go somewhere that will.

At some point, you have to let the kid actually play football if you want to find out what he can become.

IceRatz16 wrote:

At some point, you have to let the kid actually play football if you want to find out what he can become.

Agreed....But I also think he needed a Love/Rogers type upbringing and it didn't happen.

Not sure how to implement that on-going at this point?

purplefaithful wrote:

Agreed....But I also think he needed a Love/Rogers type upbringing and it didn't happen.
Not sure how to implement that on-going at this point?

And remind he how Love throws a football. Are his mechanics in question? Did they try to change his jump passes and throwing off his back foot?

StickierBuns wrote:

https://x.com/realmnsportsfan/status/2089115479998702060?s=46&t=ohFAAgt56m6anXyDpx1btQ

I'm not sure that report from La Canfora actually says that JJ "wants out" but it does clearly say that KOC was all-in on moving off him and onto Kyler.

Here is the full text, I added bold to relevant parts:

Kyler Murray’s path to the Vikings’ starting job felt inevitable from the moment Minnesota secured the first free-agent meeting with the former Pro Bowler in March.

Barring injury, league sources indicated at the time that head coach Kevin O’Connell—the driving force behind signing the former first-overall pick—was going to throw himself into tailoring his offense to a smaller, more mobile quarterback prototype than he was accustomed to. That is precisely what occurred.

Recent first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was never going to be able to mount sufficient competition, and this “position battle” was effectively over the moment Murray entered the building.

“This was all O’Connell—he was all-in on Kyler,” said an agent who represented another top free-agent quarterback and had a firm pulse on the market.

The Wrong Guy

McCarthy quickly fell out of favor in Minnesota, playing at a warp-speed, often out-of-control tempo while failing to improve his decision-making or develop touch on his throws.

He didn’t handle his staccato development well, could be moody according to team sources, and failed to build on-field chemistry with the club’s highly paid playmakers.

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” said one team source. “It was pretty bad behind the scenes.”

It was an open secret around the league that the Vikings brought in someone not to compete with McCarthy, but to take over and give them a better chance to win immediately. After losing so much time to injury already, it would be surprising if McCarthy remains in Minnesota long-term.

“They knew they couldn’t bring him back as the starter and keep that locker room together,” one GM noted this offseason. “I don’t think he’ll be there through the end of the season.”

Possible Landing Spots for McCarthy

Given the modest contracts signed by former top picks like Murray and Tua Tagovailoa after their initial big-money deals, Minnesota may wait to see if injuries surface elsewhere before setting a price tag on McCarthy. Naturally, he would prefer a fresh start as soon as possible.

He won a national championship at Michigan under Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, though Los Angeles already carries an athletic backup in Trey Lance.

Another GM floated the Giants as a team in the mix, noting Jaxson Dart’s deep injury, New York’s ongoing rebuild, and backup Jameis Winston offering limited long-term upside.

It is also worth noting that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is one of Michigan’s prominent boosters and watched McCarthy lead that program to national prominence.

Another personnel executive suggested the Eagles as a potential bargain-bin buyer, with Eagles GM Howie Roseman doing extensive background work on developmental quarterbacks ahead of the supplemental draft.

StickierBuns wrote:

I don’t know what it’s going to take for some people to understand that it’s almost a certainty that JJ McCarthy is not going to be on this team next off-season. This would just be the latest nail in his coffin. A top 10 QB selection heading into his third season and he has been demoted to QB3? I mean….c’mon now. You’d have to be very stubborn on purpose to not see that it’s over. He’s got no future on this team.

JJ has holes in his game, he's is still processing.

So what that he hasn't figured it all out yet? It happens.

Weird how Dallas Turner couldn't beat out 2 pro bowlers in Gink and Grennard and got 2 years to develop

Yet JJ can't do it in 1 year , behind a Probowler, and he's allegedly a bust?

And the only way to deal with him is to ship him elsewhere for a Day 3 pick?

Make it make sense.

Again, who knows how true this QB3 talk is, but.....IF he's QB3, everyone should realize the party in Minnesota is over for McCarthy. I mean just the fact that there IS this kind of talk isn't great. I believe KOC already said he's QB2, so......he'd have to mini shit the bed to move down again.