J.J. McCarthy Is Injured Again
Through the first 11 games of the 2025 season, the Minnesota Vikings probably encountered the worst possible QB scenario imaginable. Their brand-new franchise quarterback struggles on the field and can’t stay healthy. His backup Carson Wentz played like a backup and then suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery.
J.J. McCarthy Is Injured Again
On Sunday, J.J. McCarthy, who made the sixth start of his young career, once again failed to display any improvement. But that’s not even the worst part. He also reported concussion symptoms, and it landed him in concussion protocol, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced.
“Over the course of our travel home, [he] reported some symptoms in regards to his head,” O’Connell said Monday. “He was evaluated last night and after completing those tests, our training staff, doctors, and medical team decided that the right place for him is to put him in the protocol for now. He’ll go through that process this week.”
It was another day to forget for the 22-year-old. He completed just 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards and two interceptions in his border battle debut.
O’Connell tried to deploy the running game early and often and had some success that way. However, he then abandoned the ground game once the Packers were up by two scores to get his team back into the game. The result was a young signal-caller who was indecisive in the pocket and was taking hit after hit because he held the ball too long against a strong Green Bay pass rush.
The coach added that McCarthy was present in the usual meetings on Monday. Now that he’s in concussion protocol, however, he won’t be eligible to practice until he clears the first hurdles.
The Vikings are unaware when McCarthy would have suffered his injury: “There was not one particular. Looking into it, as we all will. It had to be late, based upon how the game went, but no, there wasn’t one where I think even J.J. can pinpoint as of right now.”
McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus injury he picked up in the preseason. In the second game of his first year as a starter, the sophomore suffered a high ankle sprain, knocking him out for five games. Now, his status is in jeopardy once again.
With Wentz on IR, it would be one of backup Max Brosmer and practice squad passer John Wolford. The rookie would get the nod.
O’Connell explained the process: “Max would take those reps, but like I said, with how the practice week is going to go and Thanksgiving and things like that, there’s a timeline there, where I think first and foremost we’ll make the decision through the eyes of the medical professionals. Not only our staff, but the independent folks. Then at that point, once we see where we’re at in the week and what it’s looked like preparation-wise, we can make a football decision. But until then, I look at it clearly as a medical decision.”
Brosmer signed after the draft as an undrafted rookie and stole the QB3 job from veteran Brett Rypien. When the Vikings had the option to pick up another quarterback to back up McCarthy, they decided to stick with him as QB2.
His NFL experience is limited to garbage time snaps, but O’Connell voiced his confidence: “All he’s done since he’s been here is show up every single day and respond and answer the bell. I know Max will prepare like crazy, like he does every week. He’s been a snap away since Carson (Wentz) went on I.R.”
Brosmer proved in the preseason that he can run an offense, and the lights didn’t look too bright for him in the fourth quarter against the Bengals.
For McCarthy, it’s the third major injury setback of his career, and questions about his durability won’t vanish anytime soon.
Players usually miss a game after landing in the protocol. It remains to be seen if that’s the case here.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.