As Rumors Rage, Vikings May Have Shoehorned a J.J. McCarthy Hint into the Mix

Right now, the J.J. McCarthy rumors are red hot. Many foresee a trade after the news that he has been retained alongside Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer (something a certain dork said wouldn’t occur).

What of the placement of McCarthy’s name in the 53-man roster announcement? The Vikings may have tipped their hand.

Admittedly, we’re not exactly discussing an exact science, but the order of the names does appear to reveal the hierarchy. At receiver, Justin Jefferson is listed at the front. The same can be said for Blake Cashman at linebacker, Josh Metellus at safety, and then various other entrenched starters at other positions.

A disclaimer appears at the top stating, “Note: Players listed first at each position correspond with starters on the most recent unofficial depth chart, which will be updated for Week 1.” Nevertheless, there’s some care about the overall placement of names, creating a question or two about how the QBs get listed.

Vikings May Have Tipped Hand with J.J. McCarthy

At first, the question was whether J.J. McCarthy could overcome Kyler Murray to remain as QB1. Things went so poorly afterwards that the question shifted toward getting bumped down to QB3 rather than remaining as the QB2.

Based solely on the placement from within the team’s official roster announcement, McCarthy is the main backup. I know, I know: we’re not talking about an ironclad assessment of the backup quarterback position. Still, let’s run with the idea for a few moments. After all, we can be certain that seeing Carson Wentz behind Murray would have already led to a ginormous online kerfuffle taking place about what’s occurring at QB2.

Every single position (without fail) opts to list the players in a manner that’s in accordance with the expected depth chart placement.

At running back, Demond Claiborne is behind the 1A and 1B options of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. Dillon Bell sees his name at the end of the WR list, an accurate reflection of where the UDFA WR finds himself. Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel are the starters at edge rusher; Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers are the top pair of corners.

Go through the whole thing and it’s all as expected for the depth chart.

Of course, a football roster can be a fluid, dynamic entity that sees some change on a week-to-week basis. Jordan Addison is the WR2 and yet may not technically start Week 1 if the Vikings roll with 22 personnel (1 WR, 2 RBs, and 2TEs) on the opening play.

Moreover, factors such as performance and injury will impact where these guys find themselves. Things will change over the course of the season.

Again, though, there’s that deliberate reality of typing “J.J. McCarthy” behind Kyler Murray. Doesn’t that count for something?

Kevin O’Connell (or somebody else from the coaching staff) didn’t write the piece that went live on the team website. However, one can only assume that the team’s employees did discuss how to allocate the digital ink at quarterback. Essentially anything that gets said right now about the QB spot creates an online hubbub. Listing J.J. McCarthy as the QB2 is no different.

Minnesota’s debut game of the 2026 season takes place on Sunday, September 13th at U.S. Bank Stadium. Green Bay’s Jordan Love will be looking to overcome Kyler Murray.

A guess based on today’s roster announcement: J.J. McCarthy will be the main backup if there’s a need for another purple arm in that game.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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