Vikings' Jonathan Greenard defends J.J. McCarthy, hints at QB’s return

Greenard says miscommunication — not McCarthy — was to blame for the rookie’s rough outing against Atlanta and suggests the first-round pick could be back Sunday vs. the Eagles.

Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after a play during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does Jonathan Greenard miss Sam Darnold?

That question garnered a healthy chuckle from Greenard after more than 90 minutes on the Flag On The Play podcast, but Greenard did back McCarthy and suggest that he could make his return from injury on Sunday against the Eagles.

"I think J.J., he'll probably be back this week or something like that. I think he will. But, for the most part, everybody else is just coming back into it," Greenard said of the injuries the Vikings have dealt with early this season. "We just gelling that thing together."

Greenard isn't casting a final judgment on McCarthy after two games, including a terrible performance against Atlanta in which he believes the offensive execution made McCarthy look awful.

"He got a small sample size to really judge off of," Greenard said. "I think J.J., honestly, with the staff that we got with Kevin O'Connell, Josh McCown being there, Wes Phillips, them dialing it up, it's nearly impossible (to fail). You mentioned Sam as well. Sam did a helluva job in this same system; it's just a matter of J.J. just gotta get more comfortable and get these reps. Sam could come into it way differently being my age and multiple years in the league and hurt, different systems and knowing how to put two and two together. J.J. was still figuring it out.

"Obviously, y'all seen what he can do in the Chicago game, and then he comes back and that Atlanta game was terrible," Greenard continued. "But if you look at that, it's a matter of a mix-up of miscommunication. You see sometimes he's getting sacked when nobody's even touching the guys. I know the offense. I know literally what we're supposed to be doing, and it's just literally a lack of communication. It can't happen. Makes it look terrible."

Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) at press conference after an NFL International Series game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When asked to rank the quarterbacks taken in the 2024 draft, Greenard put McCarthy at No. 1, followed by Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, Michael Penix, and Bo Nix.

"I like J.J. As far as a competitor, a guy who knows ball, and just wanna win. Yeah, I'll take J.J. any day," Greenard said. "I definitely can see why our team took the chance on him in this instance, from looking from the intangible standpoint, from his age, upside, and all this other stuff."

Jonathan Greenard on QB JJ McCarthy pic.twitter.com/4y6LJBzBAH

— Mc🇱🇧🐺 (@3mc10) October 15, 2025

The Vikings haven't announced who will start at quarterback against Philadelphia, though head coach Kevin O'Connell says he's not trying to be mysterious about the decision. Interestingly, with the decision yet to be made, both McCarthy and Carson Wentz will talk to reporters on Wednesday. Typically, only the starter speaks to the media on Wednesdays, so it'll be interesting to see what they say.