JJ McCarthy Sits Out Preseason Finale as Vikings Stay Vague on His Roster Future

JJ McCarthy watched Friday night's preseason finale from the sideline.

The Vikings lost 34-6 to the Denver Broncos to close out the preseason, according to Sports Illustrated. McCarthy didn't play, sidelined by an ankle injury he's been managing since a rough outing against the Baltimore Ravens the week before. ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported Friday night that McCarthy would sit, confirming an earlier report from The Athletic's Alec Lewis that the Vikings had hoped he could play but discomfort kept him out. He's considered day-to-day.

That ankle injury is just the latest chapter in a two-year run of bad injury luck for McCarthy. He missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, then last year alone dealt with a high-ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, limiting him to 10 starts, according to Last Word on Sports. In those 10 starts he went 6-4, but completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, per multiple outlets including Newsweek.

Where He Stands on the Depth Chart

Minnesota already made its decision on the top job. The Vikings signed former Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the offseason, and he won the starting role earlier this month without either quarterback taking a preseason snap, according to Heavy.com. That left McCarthy competing with veteran Carson Wentz for the No. 2 spot, a battle McCarthy has been losing.

Wentz outplayed McCarthy in each of the first two preseason games. Against the Ravens, McCarthy completed just 5 of 10 passes for 81 yards and missed multiple throws in high-leverage spots, including on fourth down near the end zone, per Heavy.com. Head coach Kevin O'Connell then began splitting second-team reps between McCarthy and Wentz on August 25, a shift that fueled speculation McCarthy's grip on QB2 was slipping.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said as much directly. "There is some uncertainty right now in that quarterback room right now as to what McCarthy's role is," Fowler said, adding he wasn't sure whether McCarthy would land at QB2 behind Murray or drop to QB3 behind Wentz.

Trade or Cut? The Analysts Disagree

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has been the most aggressive voice predicting McCarthy is out the door. Florio wrote that with Max Brosmer also on the roster, McCarthy "could be in danger of not being on the roster by Sunday," when teams trim to 53 players, and that the Vikings "undoubtedly would try to trade him" before potentially having to just waive him.

Money complicates that math. According to Yahoo Sports, citing Florio's reporting, the balance of McCarthy's 2026 salary ($1.075 million) and all of his 2027 compensation ($3.775 million) are fully guaranteed. Any trade would likely require Minnesota to eat a significant chunk of that money to get a deal done.

But NFL Network's Ian Rapoport pushed back on the urgency. Rapoport said Friday he was unaware of any "trade in the works" involving McCarthy and hadn't heard that McCarthy had asked to be dealt. Rapoport suggested it could actually benefit McCarthy to stay and keep learning O'Connell's offense, though he acknowledged "it is fair to say it is to be determined on where J.J. McCarthy is next."

Bleacher Report's Moe Moton offered a third take, arguing the Vikings will likely keep McCarthy rather than trade him. Moton's reasoning, relayed by Last Word on Sports: the league tends to be patient with first-round quarterbacks who show some promise, McCarthy led a fourth-quarter comeback in his regular-season debut, and given Murray's own injury history, Minnesota needs a capable backup on the roster. Moton also noted any trade would likely require a middle-round pick in return, which he called too steep a price for "a project player in his early stages of development." Last Word on Sports added that McCarthy has reportedly been on the trade block for months without drawing serious interest from other teams.

Yahoo Sports floated a hypothetical outside name if Minnesota does move on: Will Levis, buried on Tennessee's depth chart behind Cam Ward and Mitchell Trubisky, whom Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport listed among the league's most prominent cut candidates.

What Happens Next

The Vikings must trim their roster to 53 players by 5 p.m. Central on Sunday. That deadline forces Minnesota's hand on McCarthy one way or another, whether that means keeping him as QB3, shopping him for whatever it can get, or releasing him outright.