Carson Wentz’s Vikings opportunity could unlock a twist no one saw coming

For Carson Wentz, you couldn’t write a better script than this. 

The 32-year-old journeyman quarterback was home without an NFL job when the team he grew up rooting for, the Minnesota Vikings, came calling. Now, 28 days later, Wentz is in line to start for the Vikings in their Week 3 home game against the Cincinnati Bengals (and potentially beyond).

For Vikings fans, a multi-week injury to starter J.J. McCarthy like this qualifies as a worst-case scenario; the team spent boatloads of money this offseason to bulk up the roster around its young quarterback, and entered 2025 with legitimate playoff aspirations.

It might have felt like it on Monday morning, but the sky is not yet falling in the Twin Cities. Minnesota has been in this exact spot before, and it’s possible that a short reprieve could be a good thing for McCarthy, head coach Kevin O’Connell, and this Vikings team as a whole.

Carson Wentz could be the latest QB to revitalize his career under Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell

O’Connell has been lauded as a quarterback whisperer for his work as head coach of the Vikings and beyond, but it’s important to note the type of player he typically thrives with.

In 2019, as the offensive coordinator in Washington, O’Connell worked with then seventh-year veteran Case Keenum. As offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, he went from fifth-year Jared Goff to wily veteran Matthew Stafford. With Minnesota, he went from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold. In 2023 alone, the Vikings won games started by Jaren Hall, Joshua Dobbs, and Nick Mullens.

McCarthy is, by far, the youngest quarterback project of O’Connell’s career, and that’s shown through the first eight quarters of this season.

From McCarthy’s command of the offense to O’Connell setting his 22-year-old quarterback up for success with better play calling, there’s plenty for the team to clean up over the next few weeks.

Through that same lens, some time off the field could benefit both parties. Based on his long track record of success, O’Connell should have no problem getting a veteran player like Wentz ready to go for the Bengals game this week; meanwhile, the coach will have a chance to reset and reflect on the game plan for when McCarthy is ready to return — a point that will hopefully coincide with guys like LT Christian Darrisaw and center Ryan Kelly being back in the lineup.

Is Wentz a high-end NFL backup at this point in his career? That’s highly debatable. But he’s got a big arm and has thrown over 3,300 passes as a pro. Wentz is capable of keeping the ship afloat as guys get healthy and return to the lineup.

Will Wentz pull off a Darnold from 2024? Or even a Keenum for the Vikings from 2017? Hopefully it doesn’t come to that. But this Minnesota roster is far too talented for the season to crash and burn in September. We’re not there yet.