Why the Minnesota Vikings signed Carson Wentz, including what it means for J.J. McCarthy and Kevin O’Connell

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings continued to fortify their quarterback room on Thursday morning by re-signing Carson Wentz.

Wentz joined the Vikings after final cuts last year to be the backup quarterback to J.J. McCarthy after the Sam Howell experiment didn’t work out. He ended up having to start five games for the Vikings, going 2-3 in those games and struggling to be consistent through the air. Where things become interesting for the Vikings is what this means for the room as a whole.

Carson Wentz signing means multiple things

Let’s start out with the obvious: Wentz was the best quarterback on the Vikings’ roster last year. That’s not exactly a high bar considering how poor the Vikings were at the position with McCarthy and Max Brosmer. He went 2-3 on the year, completing 65.1% of his passes for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. Not exactly a high bar to clear. It’s also clear that he’s not a starting quarterback long-term either, which is why he was still available.

The next factor is huge for the Vikings. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has been at the helm for the Vikings each of the last four seasons. In those, he has been forced to start at least three quarterbacks in two of those seasons. After it happened in 2023 when he started four different quarterbacks, O’Connell made it a priority to have a three-deep quarterback room. Last year, they ended up keeping Max Brosmer over Brett Rypien because the former was significantly better. With Wentz in a room with McCarthy and Kyler Murray, things are projected to be much more stable.

The other element here is the status of McCarthy. Reports surfaced earlier this offseason that the Vikings were considering making McCarthy QB3 so he can fully reset and hopefully become a long-term starting quarterback in the NFL. That’s a little bit optimistic overall, but it could end up working, at least that’s what the Vikings hope.

Here’s why that’s important: Wentz often waits to sign so he can maximize his chances to start. He did last year (August 24th), in 2024 (April 2nd with the Kansas City Chiefs), and 2023 (November 7th with the Los Angeles Rams). If Wentz is signing this early after waiting that long in two of the three years, that could end up meaning he was told there was a high likelihood that he would be QB2 this season over McCarthy.

Depending on how you look at it, this could be another piece of evidence that the McCarthy era is over in Minnesota.

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