The Minnesota Vikings‘ coaching staff has made a crucial decision heading into the second week of preseason.
Speaking today, Kevin O’Connell announced that franchise quarterback, JJ McCarthy, will not play in this upcoming preseason game against the New England Patriots on Saturday, with backup QB, Sam Howell, set to start in his place.
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell announced J.J. McCarthy will not play Saturday and QB Sam Howell instead will start.
â Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2025
McCarthy played in the first quarter of last week’s game against the Texans, before getting pulled for Howell, who himself was then substituted out for Brett Rypien and subsequently impressive undrafted free agent, Max Brosmer.
The 2023 FBS National Champion performed competently in his one and only series on offense, going 4/7 for 30 yards in what ultimately became a scoring drive that culminated in a 48 yard field goal from kicker, Will Reichard.
Why Is JJ McCarthy Not Playing On Saturday Against The Patriots?
The exact reasoning behind McCarthy’s absence has not been fully explained by O’Connell, although much of it could come down to injury risk-mitigation – the core reason for more and more head coaches deciding to play veterans and key starters less and less during the preseason.
The former Michigan man is also coming off a season-ending meniscus tear – one that happened during preseason – so KOC and the rest of the staff will undoubtedly have that playing as a factor in the back of their minds when making a decision on whether to start the second year QB.
Another factor could come down to performance. According to ESPN’s Vikings insider, Kevin Seifert, McCarthy was “lights-out” on Thursday during practice, on what was arguably his best day of training camp to date.
Yesterday, J.J. McCarthy missed his share of passes. Today, he was pretty much lights-out. Asked how he thinks of his accuracy and himself as a thrower in general, he said in part: “I think I’m one of the most accurate guys out there.”
â Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 14, 2025
What Will The Vikings’ Quarterback Situation On Saturday?
Last week, Sam Howell took over at the end of the first quarter, before relinquishing his duties to third stringer, Brett Rypien, for the second half of the game.
Rypien did not show out well on Saturday, going 1/4 for just six yards and no touchdowns on three offensive drives.
The undrafted Brosmer was actually the most eye-raising of all the quarterbacks in some ways, especially relative to their respective expectations, going 5/8 for 47 yards and a touchdown, helping them break a streak of three successive drives ending in punts.
This week, expect for Brosmer to get at least a full quarter of football in, as he attempts to prove to the organization that he deserves a spot on the 53-man roster ahead of Rypien. If Howell does well in the first quarter, expect him to be pulled soon after, and for Brosmer and Rypien to reps for the rest of the game.
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