“Better Off Just Coming Back and Playing for Michigan Again”: NFL Fans Stunned as Carson Wentz Leapfrogs J.J. McCarthy on Vikings Depth Chart

The Minnesota Vikings have downgraded J.J. McCarthy to QB3, naming Super Bowl champion Carson Wentz to the backup spot. The former Michigan quarterback joined the Vikings as the 10th pick of the 2024 NFL draft, following his national championship season.

Wentz, on the other hand, is in his second season with the NFC team, which he joined after having journeyed through four teams in four seasons following his initial four-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was the second pick of the 2016 NFL draft.

Fans reacted to the news of the Vikings going with the veteran Wentz over McCarthy, with not much hope for the future of the younger quarterback.

“J.J. better off just coming back and playing for Michigan again we need you,” one fan wrote.

At least some people think Wentz is not just better than McCarthy; he’s the best quarterback on the roster.

Some fans are just curious about what this will look like in practice.

One person found it a logical step for Minnesota to take.

A few fans don’t understand how the Minnesota Vikings have stuck with J.J. McCarthy for this long.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with the press on Wednesday, sharing with the public his decision to pick Carson Wentz to be the Vikings’ backup. His reasoning was straightforward: He’s highly experienced:

“Carson has got almost a hundred career starts,” O’Connell said. “What he was able to do last year from a standpoint of very limited repetition, but being able to apply a career’s worth of experience, that’s kind of what you need to do as a backup quarterback, especially early on when so much of the emphasis is going to be on getting Kyler as comfortable as we can possibly get.”

The starter for Minnesota in Week 1 will be Kyler Murray, who joined the Vikings during the offseason. The Vikings host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

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