JJ McCarthy - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings got their butts kicked on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Now, with their playoff hopes all but dead, they go into a matchup on the west coast this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks searching for answers.
But Monday morning, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell, JJ McCarthy woke up searching for his thoughts. And when he entered TCO Performance Center, he was placed in concussion protocol. The Vikings claim they do not know when JJ’s head injury occurred, though that seems unlikely (keep reading).
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said QB J.J. McCarthy reported some symptoms in regard to his head on the travel home. Evaluated last night. Training staff and doctors decided to put him in the protocol. He'll go through process this week.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) November 24, 2025
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell says that QB J.J. McCarthy is in the concussion protocol. pic.twitter.com/BbhapR9TKT
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 24, 2025
McCarthy threw for just 87 yards against the Packers, completing 12 of 19 passes and throwing 2 interceptions (0 TDs). It was one of the worst performances in recent Minnesota Vikings QB history, reminiscent of legendary clunkers like “The Josh Freeman” and “Donovan McNabb Games”.
Minnesota Vikings claim ignorance on timing of JJ McCarthy injury
But does the kid QB’s head injury shed additional light on yesterday’s historically bad performance? The answer is no, because while the MN Vikings may be unwilling to tell us when exactly JJ McCarthy’s concussion occured on Sunday afternoon, anyone with a DVR can go back and find the exact play.
It happened with just over 5 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, when McCarthy scrambled for ten yards before being tackled by Green bay linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, who led the Packers Sunday with 9 tackles, one of which clearly concussed Minnesota’s young quarterback.
The Vikings claim they do not know when JJ McCarthy suffered his concussion yesterday… 👀🫣 pic.twitter.com/ccEThk8cPD
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 24, 2025
Related: NFL Insider Says New QB Coming for MN Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have been very careful all season, when dealing with head injuries on their roster. Even so, they’ve still had multiple players dealing with recurring concussions.
Newly acquired center Ryan Kelly has spent most of the season watching from the sidelines or his own couch, after suffering two documented concussions between weeks 2 and 4.
Jeff Okudah has been out since October 23, after suffering his second head injury of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers. Thus, we can expect them to be extremely careful with young JJ McCarthy. And given how poorly he has played, the offense won’t be begging to get him back either.
Max Brosmer SZN…?
If indeed McCarthy cannot play against the Seahawks on Sunday, former Minnesota Gophers QB Max Brosmer will make his starting debut for the MN Vikings.
And if he does, I have no doubt fans will see a much different offense than what we did with the other kid QB under center. Honestly, it seems like the head coach knows that too.
Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has a ton of confidence in Max Brosmer if he needed to start in place of J.J. McCarthy on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/RwYOYfKceY
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 24, 2025
Related: Vikings Leave Green Bay Down Two More Linemen
Last year, in his only season as a Minnesota Gopher, Max Brosmer threw for 2,828 yards, 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also set a school record for completion percentage, at 66.5%.
His strengths are pre-snap reads and quickly going through progressions, two categories that McCarthy was severely lacking. At 24 years old (241 days) Max is also nearly two full years older than 22-year-old (308 days) JJ.
Mentioned in this article: injury updates J.J. McCarthy Max Brosmer More About: Minnesota Vikings
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