EAGAN, Minn. -- Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is no longer wearing a boot on his sprained right ankle, and the team hopes to "get him up to speed quickly," coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday.
But McCarthy has already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and O'Connell notably declined to say if he was 100% committed to McCarthy resuming his starting role once he is healthy.
Backup Carson Wentz led the Vikings to their best offensive performance of the season in Sunday's 48-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing for 173 yards and two touchdowns while committing no turnovers. Monday, O'Connell was asked about the certainty of McCarthy regaining the starting job whenever he is physically ready.
"First and foremost," O'Connell said, "he's got to get healthy. And then, I don't think it's one of those things where it's, hey, he's healthy the night before a game, we're going to throw him out there and say, 'Hey, go figure it out' type of thing."
O'Connell also said he did not want to play McCarthy until his mobility and ability to practice are no longer affected by the injury. He noted that McCarthy missed the Vikings' Sept. 11 practice during preparations for their game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, when his fiancée was giving birth to their son. McCarthy struggled in the game and then reported heavy soreness in his right ankle the next morning.
"I think we saw, as phenomenal as he was getting prepared for the Atlanta game, he did miss practice that week," O'Connell said. "And when you're in the phase of building up the 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours of what it takes to play the position at a very high level, which we know J.J. McCarthy is going to do, you can't cut corners on that. And that also doesn't require an answer on that question today."
During the offseason, Sam Darnold, who started for Minnesota in 2024, left in free agency, and the Vikings passed on signing Aaron Rodgers because they were committed to developing McCarthy. He finished Week 2 with the NFL's second-lowest QBR (20.3), ahead of only the Tennessee Titans' Cam Ward.
O'Connell pushed back last week on suggestions that starting Wentz amounted to a soft benching for McCarthy. On Monday, he said "there is value" in McCarthy watching a veteran quarterback play the way Wentz did against the Bengals.
"Sometimes, it's the reactionary ability to still consistently play with the rhythm and the poise and the decision-making," O'Connell said, "and all that becomes much easier when you're taking the right footwork and you're balanced throughout the drop and reading with your feet. That can be an incredible weapon for a quarterback, whether they've played 20 years or they've played two games."
McCarthy will travel with the Vikings during their upcoming road trip to Dublin, Ireland, and London for games against the Steelers and Cleveland Browns, respectively. Unless he returns in time for the Browns game, McCarthy would then get extra time to recover during the Week 6 bye and, in theory, be ready to play in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Meanwhile, Vikings left guard Donovan Jackson had surgery Monday to repair a wrist injury he originally suffered in Week 2. O'Connell said that Jackson, the No. 24 pick of the 2025 draft, should return by Week 7. He'll be replaced in the starting lineup by veteran Blake Brandel.