J.J. McCarthy Injury Timeline: When Vikings Expect to Get QB Back

On the heels of an opening weekend comeback victory over the Bears that saw him win the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain in his team's Week 2 loss to the Falcons.

The second-year player—who was selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft—has not played since the injury occurred and has since been ruled out for Minnesota's Week 8 Thursday night matchup against the Chargers in Los Angeles.

When could J.J. McCarthy return for the Vikings?

After McCarthy's ankle injury was originally announced by Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, reports indicated that the quarterback could miss anywhere from two-to-four weeks, which would have put him—at the latest—in line to start in their Week 7 game against the Eagles.

Minnesota ultimately decided to keep him out of last weekend's contest—a 28–22 loss to Philly—and now, on a short week, O'Connell explained that he also will not play against Los Angeles.

"Wanted to give you guys, just an update, earlier this morning we did put J.J. McCarthy through an on-field workout just to see if he had a chance to make it this week," the coach explained on Tuesday. "J.J., the medical staff, myself, we're all kind of encouraged about where he's at and the progress he's making, but he's just not there."

O'Connell added that if the team was playing on Sunday, perhaps they could have pushed McCarthy throughout the week to be ready. Instead, Carson Wentz will once again start, Max Brosmer will be the backup, and McCarthy will serve as the team's emergency third quarterback.

"Encouraged by where he's at and very much looking forward to continuing his progression and hopefully having a chance to go next week," O'Connell added. "We'll keep you guys posted on that."

Prior to the Vikings' Week 7 game against the Eagles—and contrary to his initial reporting—ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Sunday NFL Countdown that McCarthy's sprained ankle, "was supposed to be a six-week injury."

"Nothing has changed," Schefter added in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "It still looks like a six-week injury, which means McCarthy would miss next week [against the Chargers], and possibly be able to return in Week 9 at Detroit."

We'll see if he ultimately suits up for Minnesota's in-division contest against the Lions next Sunday. For now, Wentz will continue to take the reins for the Vikings' offense.

How has Carson Wentz performed in J.J. McCarthy's absence?

Wentz was signed by the Vikings in late August alongside their trade of quarterback Sam Howell to the Eagles. The 32-year-old journeyman was named the backup to McCarthy heading into the season, and has started in his place due to the ankle injury beginning in Week 3.

Since taking over, Wentz has notched a respectable 2–2 record, putting Minnesota at 3–3 overall on the 2025 season. Statistically, he's completed 66.9% of his passes for 1,072 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions while passing the 300+ yard mark in two of his four starts.

Last weekend against Philadelphia, however, Wentz threw two costly interceptions and posted a season-low 64.9 QBR, aiding in their defeat.

While Vikings fans are likely clamoring for their second-year quarterback to come back, Wentz will still remain one step away from playing time and will need to be ready—especially given McCarthy's injury history.

J.J. McCarthy injury history

This is already the second major injury that McCarthy has had to deal with to begin his NFL career. After being selected in the first round by the Vikings in April of 2024, the plan was for the then-21-year-old to develop and learn behind veteran quarterback Sam Darnold before taking over as the starter when he was ready.

Unfortunately, in Minnesota's first preseason game against the Raiders last summer, McCarthy tore his meniscus and missed the entirety of his rookie season. He ended up having multiple procedures on his injured knee, and spent the majority of the next 12 months rehabbing.

McCarthy entered 2025 as the Vikings' clear cut starter, but after his first and only 41 career pass attempts in Weeks 1 and 2, is now on the shelf once again.

While labeling him "injury prone" may be premature, his McCarthy's availability moving forward is certainly something to watch as his career continues.