J.J. McCarthy landed in the NFL’s concussion protocol last week, months after Sam Darnold left Minnesota for Seattle.
The fallout from both of those situations will have a direct impact on Sunday’s matchup between the Darnold-less Vikings and Darnold-led Seahawks.
On back-to-back fourth-quarter plays last week in Green Bay, McCarthy had his head slam into the ground — the first when he was tackled by Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, and then on the next play when he was chased and tackled by Green Bay defensive end Kingsley Enagbare.
McCarthy self-reported his symptoms on the flight back to Minnesota from Green Bay, and then found himself in concussion protocol, where he now remains, sources told ESPN.
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With McCarthy out, the Vikings will start undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer, who starred last season at the University of Minnesota.
And just like that, the Vikings find themselves in the type of challenging situation they were hoping to avoid this past offseason, when two of their quarterbacks — Darnold and Daniel Jones — were about to become free agents.
The Vikings made a passing attempt to re-sign Darnold, but they were not as aggressive as the Seahawks or Steelers. The Seahawks offered Darnold more money, and more years, than Minnesota. Seattle’s offer was evidence that it wanted and valued Darnold more than Minnesota, and the Seahawks landed their new starting quarterback just days after trading former starting quarterback Geno Smith to the Raiders.
Darnold — the son of a plumber and a teacher — has flourished in Seattle.
McCarthy, on the other hand, has battled through another injury-plagued season — first suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 that prevented him from playing until recently, and now the concussion that will knock him out of at least Sunday’s game.
J.J. McCarthy’s concussion opened the door for undrafted rookie Max Brosmer (right) to make his first career start Sunday against the Seahawks. Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire
The Vikings now will turn to Brosmer, whom they have eyed since last year. He first caught the eye of Vikings officials at the University of Minnesota’s pro day in March 2024, right after he transferred into the program from the University of New Hampshire. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah both attended that day and were impressed.
Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck later advocated for Brosmer with Adofo-Mensah, who lobbied to get the young quarterback an invitation to the NFL scouting combine in February. Adofo-Mensah lobbied for Brosmer even though the Vikings, who entered the 2025 draft with only four selections, did not have a great chance to draft him.
A few weeks later at the Gophers’ 2025 pro day, the Vikings GM was overheard saying that he “kind of wish[ed]” he hadn’t lobbied for Brosmer to the combine “because then he’d really be our secret.”
Max Brosmer was invited to the 2025 NFL scouting combine thanks in part to Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who lobbied for the QB even though the Vikings had only four picks in the draft and didn’t have a good chance of selecting him. Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
Brosmer ultimately did not get drafted, but the Vikings were the team that was the most aggressive about signing him. He will become the first quarterback to make his first career start for an NFL team in the same state where he played college football since Joshua Dobbs, who played at the University of Tennessee and made his first start for the Titans in 2022.
Brosmer also attended the same high school as Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald — Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia.
So the Vikings lost Darnold but got Brosmer — and now will have the chance to see both quarterbacks square off Sunday in Seattle.
