J.J. McCarthy will serve as the Minnesota Vikings' third-string quarterback to start the new season, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Wednesday.
Carson Wentz will be the primary backup to starter Kyler Murray.
"Carson, he's got almost 100 career starts," O'Connell said, according to SKOR North's Jason Harmon. "What he was able to do last year from a standpoint of very limited repetition but being able to apply a careers worth of experience, that's kind of what you need to do as a backup quarterback."
O'Connell added that he'll evaluate the Vikings' QB2 role on a week-to-week basis.
"J.J. is still going to get a bunch of great work. ... I'm just excited to continue to get a chance to work with him," O'Connell said. "This gives us the best chance to win this Sunday."
The Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft.
The 23-year-old went 6-4 last season, throwing for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He missed all of 2024 due to a knee injury.
