Kevin O’Connell confirms suspicion about Vikings’ starting quarterback situation after Thursday night loss vs. Chargers

The starting quarterback was never in doubt if you paid attention.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) throws a pass during warm ups before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings have had a quarterback issue for the last six weeks, but they won’t for much longer. Head coach Kevin O’Connell made it clear who the starting quarterback is moving forward, and that is J.J. McCarthy.

“If J.J. is healthy, J.J. will play. That’s been the case since the injury. That’s always been kind of my mindset,” said O’Connell.

J.J. McCarthy will be the starting quarterback moving forward

If you’ve been paying attention during the last six weeks, O’Connell has been steadfast about the approach with McCarthy. He was clear about wanting McCarthy to get a full week of practice because he is still a developing player. It’s about the long term with McCarthy, not just one game.

“We talked about earlier in the week, we worked out J.J. and he was close, and J.J. and the medical staff didn’t quite feel like he was there yet, but there was a lot of encouragement that, especially with the time we have Kevin, and where he’s at and the confidence level he thinks he can get to, and I believe we’re right,” said O’Connell. “Hopefully, around the corner from seeing him be healthy, have a week of preparation and go compete, because that’s really what he wants, and that’s what he’s been working towards.”

It’s also important to understand that the mechanics the Vikings were working on with McCarthy weren’t necessarily due to mechanical changes. It could have just as easily been part of the rehab process because of the weight transfer you go through when you throw the football.

“I know there were a lot of estimates on what the injury timeline and everything with a high ankle it ended up being on the longer end, but about what we thought, and we’ll see how Carson comes out tonight, as far as what our overall quarterback depth looks like,” said O’Connell. “But we will prepare. We’ll prepare our team at every position, based on what our health looks like. But we also need to be ready to go to work on the practice field and improve, because that is not like I said to our standard in any capacity.”

Don’t forget O’Connell’s quote from last year about McCarthy: “Organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.”

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