The Vikings have set their quarterback depth chart for the 2026 season opener against the Green Bay Packers, and it comes with a notable change. Carson Wentz will serve as Kyler Murray's backup, while J.J. McCarthy has been designated the third-string quarterback, according to PurplePTSD.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell made the announcement Wednesday and characterized the backup role as a week-to-week decision rather than a fixed arrangement. O'Connell said Wentz gives the team the best chance to win Sunday, according to reporting from Will Ragatz of Bring Me the Sports cited by PurplePTSD.
The move follows a monthslong quarterback competition between McCarthy and Murray that stretched from mid-March to mid-August 2026 and ended with Murray being announced as the starter. McCarthy has made 10 career starts and has dealt with injuries during that span, according to the report. O'Connell reportedly praised McCarthy's professionalism and work ethic during the transition, calling him a young quarterback with talent worth developing.
McCarthy's shift from the center of an offseason starting competition to third string within a single year stands out, though how it compares historically to other quarterbacks' trajectories is a matter of opinion rather than established fact. Whether McCarthy can reclaim a larger role remains uncertain. The report notes that both Murray and Wentz have histories of injury, though it stops short of predicting how that might affect the depth chart going forward.
For now, Murray is set to start Sunday against the Packers with Wentz as the backup and McCarthy third on the depth chart, per the team's announcement.