Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will play in the team’s preseason opener on Saturday, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed on Monday. That has always seemed like the plan.
“We’ve got that plan in place. I have not talked to him about it. We’re so day-to-day right now. So, I’ll update him first,” said O’Connell when asked about his specific plan for McCarthy. “But yeah, I do plan on playing J.J. on Saturday.”
Kevin O’Connell confirms that J.J. McCarthy will play in Saturday’s preseason opener.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 4, 2025
When asked whether he plans on playing McCarthy during the second and third preseason games, O’Connell appeared noncommittal. O’Connell said he planned to use the upcoming joint practices with the Patriots as their “real days.” He typically isn’t a coach who plays starters much in preseason games, preferring to use the joint practices to give reps to his first-team units.
Minnesota will host the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday, with kickoff slated for 3 p.m. CT. It will be McCarthy’s first game action since suffering a season-ending knee injury last preseason in a game against the Raiders.
McCarthy threw for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Vikings’ preseason opener last season. In the days following the game, it was revealed that McCarthy was suffering some discomfort in his knee that was revealed to be a torn meniscus. The injury caused the 2024 No. 10 overall pick to miss the entirety of his rookie season.
How much McCarthy will play on Saturday isn’t clear, but it’ll presumably be somewhere between two series and one half. It would be surprising if he plays after halftime of the opener or in either of the two remainining preseason games.
