Vikings QB Depth Chart With Carson Wentz Out for the Season

J.J. McCarthy is expected to return as Minnesota's starter this week.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is expected to return as the team's starter in Week 9. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The Vikings have placed veteran quarterback Carson Wentz on injured reserve as he is set to undergo season-ending surgery. Wentz started five games for Minnesota this season with J.J. McCarthy out with an ankle injury. Now the team's depth chart is set to be flipped again.

McCarthy is expected back in Week 9, so he should slip right back into his old starting role. The 22-year-old missed his entire rookie season after undergoing knee surgery in the preseason of 2024, then began the 2025 campaign as the team's starter under center. He lasted two games before suffering a high ankle sprain during an awful performance in a 22-6 loss to the Falcons.

So far, through two games this season, McCarthy is 24-of-41 (58.5%), for 301 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He has added seven carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and have only two games to show for it so far. The Michigan product needs to stay healthy and shorten his learning curve.

Max Brosmer will back up J.J. McCarthy

Given McCarthy's struggle to stay healthy, Max Brosmer just became incredibly important. The team's third-stringer will be elevated to backup status, at least for now, as there are no other quarterbacks on the team's roster. Even the practice squad is devoid of a signal-caller.

Brosmer played four seasons at New Hampshire and was named a first-team FCS All-American in 2023. He transferred to Minnesota for his final collegiate season and had an excellent campaign. He completed 66.8% of his passes for 2,617 yards, with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also added five rushing touchdowns.

At 6'2" and 217 pounds, he has good size, but that didn't matter during the draft, as he was not selected. The Vikings signed him as an undrafted free agent on April 26, and he made the team's 53-man roster out of training camp.

Brosmer does have NFL game experience. In Minnesota's 48-10 Week 3 victory over the Bengals, the 24-year-old completed 2-of-4 passes for 29 yards. Then he stepped in during last week's 37-10 loss to the Chargers and completed 3-of-4 passes for 13 yards.

Vikings quarterback depth chart

The team's current depth chart is below.

String	Player
Starter	J.J. McCarthy
Backup	Max Brosmer

Expect the Vikings to bring in another quarterback for depth purposes, but for now they're rolling with two young guys.

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

dark. FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI

feed