It appears we have our answer
When it comes to preseason snaps, it sounds like the Minnesota Vikings have a plan for their young quarterback, and that plan doesn’t involve a whole lot of snaps.
I can confirm something that the Vikings have strongly hinted at — JJ McCarthy will play in the first preseason game (vs HOU/Aug 9), but the plan is to sit him out in the last 2 (vs NEP/Aug 16 | at TEN/Aug 22).
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) July 28, 2025
According to our good friend and fellow J.J. McCarthy enthusiast Thor Nystrom, the plan is for McCarthy to start the preseason opener in 12 days against the Houston Texans and then not play at all until the regular season starts, sitting out the games against the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans.
This is not too far off from what we saw last season. Sam Darnold took the helm for the first couple of series for the Vikings in their game against the Las Vegas Raiders and then gave way to McCarthy, who played most of the game after that.
Obviously, McCarthy will have to get some live snaps with the first team offense (or most of the first team offense) to get a feel for things. Even more obviously, the Vikings shouldn’t be taking too many chances with the young man that they hope will carry the franchise for the foreseeable future and make sure he makes it to the regular season opener in Chicago.
So, if you want to see J.J. McCarthy this preseason, make sure you’re near the TV on 9 August at 3:00 PM Central when the Vikings and the Texans kick things off at U.S. Bank Stadium. Or, I suppose, you could catch one of the replays on NFL Network whenever they air. In any case, that game will be your only opportunity to see McCarthy on the field before the regular season gets underway.