Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after the game against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings are trying to get back above .500 against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night. They received excellent news on this front when they learned about running back Aaron Jones' potential return. Unfortunately, they can't yet say the same for their young quarterback, who was Minnesota's starter entering the 2025 season.

At the time of publication, veteran Carson Wentz remains the Vikings' starting quarterback, and he will play against the Chargers. McCarthy hasn't played for Minnesota since suffering an ankle injury all the way back in Week 2. It was initially presumed that McCarthy would return after the Vikings' bye week, which was notably in Week 6, a.k.a. two weeks ago.

So, what's the deal? Why aren't the Vikings playing their hopeful franchise quarterback of the future right now?

Apparently, McCarthy might still be dealing with some complications from his ankle injury that prevent him from executing Minnesota's full playbook without health limitations. At least, that's how Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell described the situation:

Hmm. That doesn't sound great for an ankle injury that happened nearly six weeks ago. Even worse, every game that McCarthy misses is a lost chance at quality developmental repetitions in live game action for an inexperienced player who already missed the entire 2024 campaign due to an injury.

Here's hoping, for McCarthy's case, that he can heal up and return to the field soon.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why isn't J.J. McCarthy starting at QB for Vikings?

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

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