Vikings Rumors: QB Disaster in ’25, Purple Intel, and No Cap Space
Since we’re officially into the portion of the year when Vikings rumors are ramping up, we’ll be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss Minnesota moving into a period where the quarterback position will be in trouble, some purple intel, and the Vikings having next to no cap space to work with right now.
Vikings Rumors: 09.04.2024
Rumor #1 — The Vikings are Staring Down QB Disaster in 2025
No, that’s an overreaction. However, they are dealing with a situation that will require a sense of urgency.
The current hierarchy consists of Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Brett Rypien. All are scheduled to be free agents in ’25. The end result is just J.J. McCarthy, fresh off his missed season due to a torn meniscus, under contract during that season. Not a great spot to be, folks.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that one of the aforementioned trio could be brought back. Mullens, in particular, seems like a good fit. The coaches love him, largely due to his brains, work ethic, and fearless (reckless?) play style. Keeping him in town for a little while longer would make a decent bit of sense.
Now, the purple elephant in the room is that Minnesota would have a bit more QB continuity had they opted to retain Jaren Hall. The man was just entering his second season, meaning there would have been the 2025 and 2026 seasons still left on his deal. Couldn’t he have developed into a strong backup long term? Instead, he’ll be looking to help the Seahawks.
Rumor #2 — The Athletic Offered Some Insider Intel on the Vikings
Readers will be forgiven if their initial reaction is to be a bit underwhelmed.
Jeff Howe takes on the ambitious task of collecting intel on all 32 teams. Genuinely, it’s a massive job, so respect to the author. By definition, Howe can only provide incomplete snippets, so expectations should be adjusted.
A brief initial word from the piece: “The information ranges from a broad overview of how a team could fare this season to other more specific tidbits regarding particular players and roster construction.” Minnesota’s portion is both a bit general and a bit specific.
Kick it over to Howe: “Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s torn meniscus was a tough one to swallow. Prior to the injury, rival coaches and executives debated whether the Michigan product would’ve had the best season among the six first-round rookie QBs.”
Now, fans of the Vikings won’t be altogether impressed. Anyone who watched the opening preseason game would tell you that McCarthy played wonderfully. Add in that he’s being protected by tremendous tackle tandem and has skill aplenty and the insight falls a little flat.
Even still, the Howe insight does offer precisely that: insight. Around the NFL, people were similarly impressed, so much so that there was some belief that J.J. McCarthy could outperform Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and the others. Unfortunately, the optimism will need to wait until the 2025 season.
Rumor #3 — The Vikings’ Cap Space is So Low that Another Move is Upcoming
Almost certainly.
The fine folks at Over the Cap describe a situation that’s pretty bleak. The cap site puts things down at a stunningly-low $67,690. For regular people, that could be a really nice yearly salary. In the NFL, it’s such a tiny number that Minnesota couldn’t sign anyone.
The good news is simply that there are plenty of options. Minnesota is working with several extension candidates. One thinks of DT Harrison Phillips and CB Byron Murphy as being particularly prominent examples. Extending the pair could result in cap savings that exceed $10 million in 2024. All of the sudden, the cap would be in a fine position.
Plus, there are restructures available to the team. RT Brian O’Neill and his nearly $23 million cap charge could get a bit of a facelift, leading to close to $9 million in added room.
Regardless of what Adofo-Mensah decides, the truth remains: something needs to happen.
Vikings Lose QB to NFC Rival
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.