J.J. McCarthy to debut in preseason with the Vikings
EAGAN, Minn. – Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Monday that quarterback J.J. McCarthy will play in the first preseason game against the Houston Texans on Saturday. This encounter will mark McCarthy’s return to the field after a right knee injury suffered in the first preseason game of 2024. This injury made him the first quarterback selected in the first round in the modern draft era to miss his entire rookie season due to injury. McCarthy has led the depth chart in training camp this summer and has taken every practice repetition with the first team. O’Connell did not reveal how much time McCarthy will play or if there are plans for future preseason appearances, indicating that he had not yet spoken with the team about it. Last season, starter Sam Darnold played a series in the first preseason game and then sat out the next two. It is unlikely that McCarthy will play in the Vikings’ second preseason game, on August 16 against the New England Patriots, because the teams will have two days of joint practices before that meeting.Most of the Vikings’ preseason reps will likely be taken by veterans Sam Howell and Brett Rypien, along with rookie Max Brosmer.“You’d love for him to play as much as possible,” O’Connell said, “but I think with those two days of joint practice [with the Patriots], and the type of reps that the other offensive players will get from a physicality and workload standpoint, it’s very likely that we’ll use those two days as our real days. Obviously, that’s subject to change based on how they go, how we feel coming out of them. If we need to get a little more work, we will. Then we’ll evaluate that last preseason game as it gets closer.”
Kevin O’Connell
