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?