Most onlookers of Minnesota Vikings football have fixated their attention on Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy when it comes to the team’s impending quarterback competition. The two will duke it out at training camp for the QB1 job. But according to former Vikings long snapper Mike Morris, Carson Wentz, the current QB3 on the depth chart, belongs in the conversation, too.
Wentz may not be an overly serious contender for the starting quarterback job, but Morris insists that Wentz is the only proven starter with semi-long-term success.
Wentz Has Experience – – but Not the Inside Track
Morris: Wentz Belongs in the QB Battle Talk
Morris spoke to FOX9 this week, dropping the Wentz theory into the discourse.
“We actually have two that are pretty good athletes with J.J. McCarthy, and a really big pocket quarterback, much like a Ben Roethlisberger in his day, in Carson Wentz. He can stand in there and sling it. If he’s healthy, he’s a good player. He’s a proven player – – really the only proven player of the three. And so that’s why I like him in the mix as well,” he opined.
“If he is physically capable of going out there and being 100% of his old self, he’s a big, strong, strapping quarterback at about 6-foot-4, a little over 6-foot-4, about 235 or 240. He’s the kind of player that can sit in the pocket and play the way O’Connell would want to have it played – – in the pocket, making reads.”
Most Vikings fans haven’t really considered Wentz a part of the quarterback battle; he’s just the QB3 in their estimation.
“He’s only 33. That’s fine. If he’s in shape and he’s got the injury thing under control, he’s as good as the other two. He’s known Kevin O’Connell’s offense since the Rams, and he’s got the best understanding, I think, of that offense of any of the three,” Morris added.
Wentz’s Time as a Starter in 2025
Wentz started 5 games for the 2025 Vikings — when McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain — delivering 1,216 passing yards, 6 passing touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. His 243.2 passing yards per game were impressive, and Minnesota won 2 of 5 games on his watch.
From an efficiency standpoint, among the 40 quarterbacks who had 200+ dropbacks, Wentz ranked 25th per EPA/Play. The guy was decent and basically a quintessential backup quarterback.
Because he played through pain and ultimately succumbed to a shoulder injury in late October, fans saluted him for his toughness and grit, so much so that he’ll live in Vikings’ lore for years. In a practical sense, Wentz did not resemble a long-term QB1 solution.
Including Wentz, in Theory, Is Fine — But He’s Not Going to Win the Battle
Wentz as Minnesota’s main QB1 is a fantastic storyline and theory — if you had a time machine that traveled back to 2017 or 2018. He only signed with the Vikings late last summer because no team came calling through five months of free agency. Minnesota even auditioned Sam Howell, who was a summer trainwreck, before landing on Wentz.
The fact of the matter is that the purple team has Murray and McCarthy in the house to vie for the starting quarterback job. Any ideas linking Wentz to the mix are just fringe theories.
Interestingly, it’s worth noting that ex-Vikings linebacker Ben Leber concocted a similar Wentz theory in March, tweeting, “I believe there will be a true QB competition. So as of right now I would guess the depth chart would be: Wentz, Murray, McCarthy. May the best man win.”
Let it be known that Morris and Leber are big “Wentz guys.”
Extreme Insurance
Wentz is back on Minnesota’s roster for one fundamental reason, and it’s not to win the QB1 battle at training camp. Two of the last three Vikings seasons have been ruined by quarterback injuries: 2023 when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and 2025 when McCarthy navigated the aforementioned high ankle sprain, a concussion, and a hairline fracture to the hand. In both seasons, O’Connell’s team likely would’ve reached the postseason with the starting quarterback.
So, what happened this offseason? O’Connell learned his lesson. He’s no longer setting sail on the regular season with skimpy quarterback depth. The Vikings re-signed Wentz while showcasing Murray and McCarthy on the roster so that there are no excuses if the injury bug strikes again.
At this juncture of his career, Wentz has QB2 upside, not that of a QB1. But don’t tell Morris.
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VikesNow Verdict: Morris is right that Wentz brings valuable experience and familiarity, but that does not make it a genuine three-way race. Wentz belongs in the quarterback room as trusted insurance.
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