Carson Wentz is unconcerned about whether he just played his last game with the Minnesota Vikings.
The veteran quarterback, who grew up rooting for the Vikings, led a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that he capped with a touchdown throw to Jordan Addison with 20 seconds left in regulation to clinch a 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, October 5.
It was a must-win for Minnesota, which enters the bye week with a 3-2 record and has a chance to get healthy. Wentz weathered a stormy start to the 2025 season, going 2-1 as a starter behind a patchwork offensive line.
J.J. McCarthy, recovering from a high ankle sprain, appears to be nearing his return to practice and will get an extra week of evaluation to see if he can return for a Week 7 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The pivot back to the young quarterback is a hot debate after he struggled to run the offense effectively for the better part of his first two games. Wentz certainly has made his case to keep the starting job, completing 69% of his passes for 759 yards passing, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
However, in the glow of his first fourth-quarter comeback since the 2023 season, Wentz was unworried about his future and whether McCarthy could take back the starting job.
“I’ve done plenty of looking ahead in my life. I’m done doing that,” he said. “I’m very much trying to live in the moment and appreciate the moment right now. I’m gonna enjoy this one, get healthy, and see what happens.”
Should the Vikings Stick With Carson Wentz or J.J. McCarthy?
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 and Carson Wentz #11 of the Minnesota Vikings look on before a game against the Chicago Bears.
The first five games of the season have been a difficult read for Minnesota. Injuries have ravaged the offensive line, which has yet to put out its projected starting five this season.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted that the identity of the team hasn’t felt concrete through the first stretch of the season and that he and his staff will be searching for answers over the bye week.
“We’ve been pretty banged up at some critical spots… so, we’ve got to get healthy and I think we’ve got to use the time as a coaching staff to figure out what is the identity of this year’s team,” O’Connell said after the game. “It’s been hard to figure out exactly what that looks like, just as it’s been such a game-to-game, really in many ways day-to-day approach.”
No development will have more say in the team’s identity than who will be under center going forward.
The Vikings have seen that Wentz can operate the offense, but he lacks the upside as a known commodity in the league. McCarthy is the more volatile option, but that comes with the untapped potential that McCarthy has as he continues to develop as an NFL quarterback.
Wentz has the floor to help the Vikings be a wild-card playoff team, but nothing more.
Meanwhile, McCarthy has the untapped potential that could make for a much more meaningful postseason push if he gets the playing time needed to develop — but that also comes with the risk of bottoming out with a first-year starter.
JJ McCarthy Has a 2-Game Tune-Up Ahead of Defining Divisional Stretch for Vikings Season
If the Vikings pivot back to McCarthy, he will have two games to get right against the Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8.
After that, the Vikings face the entire NFC North in November, which will set the tone for the final stretch of the season.
The division is deep this year, and there is little room for dropping multiple divisional games if the Vikings want to be playing meaningful games when the calendar turns.
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