When the Minnesota Vikings face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, they will have Carson Wentz under center in place of J.J. McCarthy. Moreover, Wentz has the full faith of the Vikings’ coaching staff, led by head coach Kevin O’Connell, behind him.
Wentz, 32, has extensive experience, having logged 94 starts in 98 games played across nine seasons in the NFL.
However, Wentz will make his first start for the Vikings less than one month after signing.
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Praises Carson Wentz
GettyMinnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell reacts against the Atlanta Falcons.
O’Connell said he had a “good conversation” with Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay. He also spoke with Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs. Both coaches had lofty praise for Wentz.
The QB spent 2023 as a backup in LA and reprised the role in KC last season.
“They had very similar things to say, independent of each other, and a lot of those things, if not all, have already been confirmed with what Carson’s been able to do on the practice field,” O’Connell told Paul Allen on “X’s and O’s” on September 16. “He’s made throws, he showed his athleticism, he’s big, he can see everything on the field, and he’s played a ton of football, and he’s carried teams on his back before. He’s not going to need to do that. ”
“He’s going to just need to go out there and simply do the things that he’s wildly capable of doing and do that job at a consistent level,” O’Connell said. “My hope is we get the execution around him to be to the standard we want it to be, and move the football, and score some points.”
Wentz was the No. 2 overall pick in 2017 by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has earned $132 million in his career.
But he signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Vikings at the end of the preseason.
Wentz may not be well-versed in the Vikings’ offense just yet. Another week of practice reps will certainly help. He has also showcased the physical talent and attitude that have O’Connell encouraged entering Week 3.
Carson Wentz Passed Kevin O’Connell’s Test
GettyCarson Wentz #11 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before a game against the Chicago Bears.
O’Connell noted that “one of the blessings” of the week of practice leading up to the Vikings’ 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons was that Wentz took all the reps in last Thursday’s practice.
McCarthy missed it for the birth of his child.
“Thursday practices in the NFL, the blitz packages, you’re trying to work through processes of that. There can be some anxiety with that. We had a phenomenal Thursday practice,” O’Connell told Allen, noting he did not think the ball fell incomplete more than once.
“He was in total command. I was really pushing the group via the play clock coming off of the Chicago game. Because I thought we were a little slow with our operation, especially early. And I was trying to push the entire group and, obviously, the quarterback’s going to feel that. And Carson did a phenomenal job with that.”
Moreover, Wentz certainly wanted to be a member of the Vikings, his hometown team of sorts.
Carson Wentz Left Money on Table to Join Vikings
GettyCarson Wentz #11 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before facing the Chicago Bears.
Wentz, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, went to high school in Bismarck, North Dakota, and attended North Dakota State University for college. He was also a Vikings fan as a child, and relished his first time running out of the tunnel at home in Week 2
O’Connell revealed that Wentz had other offers on the table, even some that may have paid him more money, but instead chose the Vikings.
O’Connell said Wentz fit in with the Vikings “very quickly.”
“I do know he had other opportunities,” O’Connell said. “And maybe more lucrative opportunities financially. He heard there was a possibility he could be a Minnesota Viking, a team he – we were talking yesterday, and he’s a fan. He said he found joy just in the moments getting to run out of the tunnel in front of our great fans, wearing the purple and gold, and that was something that was not lost on him in any way, shape, or form.”
After the Bengals in Week 3, Wentz and the Vikings will hit the road for two games. First, they will face the Pittsburgh Steelers and QB Aaron Rodgers, who wanted to join the Vikings this past offseason. Then, it is off to battle the Cleveland Browns.
McCarthy may not be ready to return after the Vikings’ Week 6 bye. If that is the case, Wentz could start against his former team, the Eagles. That would be at home in Minnesota in Week 7.
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