Rapoport's report doesn't help quiet the J.J. McCarthy 'soft benching' conspiracy theory

If Carson Wentz leads the Vikings over the Eagles, Rapoport says Minnesota could choose to ride the hot hand.

Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) speaks with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

For all we know, there's zero reason to believe the conspiracy theory that J.J. McCarthy is the subject of a "soft benching" in wake of Carson Wentz leading the Vikings to a 3-2 record while McCarthy remains sidelined with a high ankle sprain.

As we wrote on Friday, all anyone has to do to figure out why McCarthy hasn't returned to the starting role is check a calendar. It's been five weeks since McCarthy suffered the high ankle sprain in Week 2 against the Falcons, and high ankle sprains, according to every reputable medical source on the planet, take 6-8 weeks to heal. Additionally, the top NFL insiders have been saying McCarthy's timeline to return was 4-6 weeks.

While nobody should be surprised or think the Vikings have benched McCarthy while using his injury as cover, the coincidence of Carson Wentz playing relatively well is turning the matter into a more interesting situation — and the latest report Sunday from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport doesn't help quiet the storm.

"The [Vikings] will start Carson Wentz at QB today, and that may be the case next week, as well. Minnesota won’t make a long-term QB decision until JJ McCarthy is healthy," Rapoport said on X.

He went deeper in his write-up for NFL.com, speculating what the Vikings will do if Wentz leads the Vikings over the Eagles.

"If Wentz wins this week, would it make sense to remove him as the starter for a healthy McCarthy? Coaches often roll with the hot hand," Rapoport wrote. "If that's the case, McCarthy would simply wait and learn, while getting in some quality practice time."

There's nothing conspiratorial about Wentz keeping the starting job if he's playing well and the Vikings are winning. And if the Vikings do ride the hot hand when McCarthy is ready to return from his injury, it'll be a cliché good problem to have. Nothing more. Nothing less.

O'Connell being open and honest

Meanwhile, Max Brosmer will be the No. 2 quarterback against Philly, with McCarthy expected to be the emergency quarterback. The fact that Kevin O'Connell is openly saying he's seen enough from McCarthy to warrant playing him in an emergency is a clear sign that he's close to 100%, and a public disclosure that they're not going to bring him back — unless necessary — unless he's 100%.

"I feel comfortable enough in what would be considered that kind of emergency capacity to be able to call some -- I feel good after watching him practice about some of the things that give him some problems at this point but at the same time, some of the things he feels really good about from a movement standpoint, whether it's in the run game or the pass game, some of the things he feels good about, and him and I will go through a lot of those things," O'Connell said Friday.

"And he got a ton of reps this week, both with the first group, and also with getting some real good reps with that look team of feeling the rush of [Jonathan] Greenard and [Dallas] Turner and [Javon] Hargrave and [Jonathan] Allen and really working on some things that are really starting to come to fruition. So, I was proud of the way he attacked the week, and I know although he knows he's not quite all the way there yet, he's progressing in a really good way."

The Vikings are simply exercising caution with a 22-year-old quarterback who they want to lead the franchise for the long haul, and they're doing it delicately.