With J.J. McCarthy returning to practice this week for the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2, there was naturally plenty of speculation over the last few days that the second-year signal-caller could be under center this Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings host the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell certainly didn't help much in stopping said speculation, as he failed to offer much insight as to who might be taking the snaps on Sunday as the week progressed.
Finally, O'Connell acquiesced on Friday, officially announcing that Carson Wentz will be the Vikings' QB1 for the fourth straight game. McCarthy will be back in uniform but only as the team's emergency option behind undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
Minnesota Vikings QB Carson Wentz downplays facing Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7
Wentz, who has led Minnesota to a 2-1 record in McCarthy's absence, including a dramatic comeback victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5 in London, is now set to take on the team that made him the second overall pick in the 2016 draft.
But that doesn't seem to matter all that much to the 10-year veteran, who downplayed the matchup when asked by a reporter earlier this week if there was any extra significance in playing against the team with which he spent the first five years of his career.
"Not really. Maybe earlier in my career, maybe it had a different feeling. But at the same time, you look over there, and there's...I'm not even sure if there's anybody on the defensive side that I played with, you know, it just looks different.
So, it's another opponent. A lot of respect for those guys. There are still guys in that organization, there's a lot of good people that I still have a lot of care for and respect for. But at the same time, that feels like multiple lifetimes ago."
Wentz, of course, has bounced around a bit since parting ways with Philadelphia following the 2020 campaign, spending a season each with the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs before signing a one-year, $1.42 million deal with Minnesota back in August.
And he's proven to be a valuable pickup for the Vikings thus far, completing 69.0 percent of his passes for 759 yards with five touchdowns against two interceptions in his three starts.
Sunday will mark Wentz's second career start against the Eagles, as he also squared off with his former team during the 2022 season while with Washington, completing 25 of 43 passes with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 24-8 loss.