Polarizing quarterback J.J. McCarthy lost the Minnesota Vikings’ QB1 battle to Kyler Murray earlier this month, and if that wasn’t enough to add to the noise around his future, the former Michigan star also opted to sit out the team’s preseason loss to the Denver Broncos on Friday.
In the aftermath, former Cincinnati Bengals star Chad Johnson suggested that despite sustaining an ankle injury last weekend, McCarthy may have checked out after losing the QB1 battle.
Chad Johnson Makes J.J. McCarthy Assessment
During Friday’s segment of the “Nightcap” podcast, Johnson was adamant that the former Michigan Wolverines quarterback opted out of the game because of the certainty over his place on the Vikings roster.
“Yeah, he checked out, he checked out,” Johnson said. “Listen, ankle injury? Listen, obviously the preseason is for a lot of people trying to audition for a spot on the team. Maybe he thinks that his spot is clear, so he just checks out of the game. I don’t know how serious his ankle injury was, but one of the issues that he does have is that he’s been injured.
“He’s been injured most of the time since he’s been there, and here we go, in the preseason, he’s injured again. He’s one of the few who needs to come in and be playing in a game like this to show that he still has it. He might be auditioning as well for another team.”
McCarthy has been plagued by injuries throughout his NFL career, including a torn meniscus in his right knee, which forced him to miss his entire rookie season. The quarterback played only 10 games last season because of a high right ankle sprain and a concussion.
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McCarthy also dealt with a hairline fracture in his right thumb.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell addressed the Vikings’ QB2 battle between McCarthy and veteran Carson Wentz, adding that the staff would work on the depth chart order after assessing McCarthy.
“We’re going to work through that as a staff and see where he’s at from a health standpoint first and foremost,” O’Connell said. “We don’t have any long-term concerns. Still consider him day-to-day, and we’ll see what that looks like.”
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After being selected No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy had to wait a year to make his debut due to his torn meniscus. As a starter, he led the Vikings to a 6-4 record during an injury-hit season as QB1.
McCarthy tallied 1,632 passing yards on 57.6% completion, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, adding 181 rushing yards and 4 scores for the Vikings last season. He earned a PFN QB Impact score of 64.3 (#37 in the NFL).
