Carson Wentz Shares Advice He Gave to J.J. McCarthy Amid Ankle Injury Recovery

Wentz will start in McCarthy's spot in Week 3.

Vikings backup quarterback Carson Wentz tried to lift J.J. McCarthy's spirits after he suffered an ankle injury. / Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered an ankle sprain in the team's Week 2 matchup on Sunday night, putting him out for an expected couple of weeks. In the meantime, backup Carson Wentz will step into the starting role.

Wentz has been in the NFL since 2016—he knows there's ebbs and flows when it comes to one's career. McCarthy is only in his second NFL season (although he missed his rookie campaign due to injury), so Wentz emphasized to the young quarterback how he's still got a long time left in his career.

"I talked to him quite a bit when he found out," Wentz said on Wednesday. "I just told him 'Career's long.' This might feel like so much going on right now, but I just told him 'Hey, stay the course.'"

Carson Wentz on what he said to J.J. McCarthy after learning of his injury: "Career's long. Stay the course."

"He's in good spirits and hopefully he gets better soon." pic.twitter.com/nuSVbB9CuQ

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 17, 2025

Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday that McCarthy was progressing well in his recovery so far and is in good spirits, something Wentz also reiterated when speaking to media. McCarthy will likely only miss two-to-four weeks, according to reports.

Wentz will start in Sunday's contest vs. the Bengals against another backup quarterback, Jake Browning, as Joe Burrow is set to miss three months with a toe injury that requires surgery.

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