New Name Enters Vikings’ QB2 Orbit
The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the teams to watch for the annual quarterback carousel this year. Starter Sam Darnold and backups Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens all entered the offseason as impending free agents.
New Name Enters Vikings’ QB2 Orbit
In fact, all three found new employers. The Seattle Seahawks were willing to take a chance on Darnold after seeing first-hand how difficult it is to stop him. Mullens followed departed Vikings coach Grant Udinski to Jacksonville, and Jones wants to duel with Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis instead of competing with J.J. McCarthy.
The sophomore and last year’s QB3, Brett Rypien, are the only two signal-callers under contract. Likely starter McCarthy is coming off a lost season due to a torn meniscus, but last year’s tenth-overall pick is ready to resume his career.
Still, the Vikings need a backup who could enter the lineup if the young passer can’t go for injury or developmental reasons. The options dwindle, but there are still a few intriguing players out there. One of them is veteran Ryan Tannehill.
His name was recently linked to the Vikings by Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.
He wrote in his newsletter, “The list of veteran options is starting to shrink, but here would be two other names I’d keep an eye on that haven’t come up much yet: Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill.”
Just like McCarthy, the experienced QB didn’t suit up in 2024, but unlike his younger counterpart, he wasn’t hurt. He couldn’t find a team willing to give him a chance to start, so he skipped the season. It’s unlikely anyone will ever hand him a starting role ever again unless he proves that he deserves one. Minnesota’s backup job is as good as it gets.
Goessling added an agent wrinkle that could be noteworthy.
“Tannehill didn’t play last year, after trying to find a team that would give him a decent starting opportunity,” Goessling noted. “He is still only 36 and would figure to work well with J.J. McCarthy, who’s represented by the same agent as Tannehill. That connection could lead to an opportunity for him in Minnesota.”
Tannehill isn’t good enough to block the way for McCarthy like Rodgers would, but he can be a reasonable backup plan, although he needs to bounce back from his nasty 2023 campaign in which he was benched for Will Levis a few games in. He finished that season with four passing touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight starts (ten games played).
After playing some wide receiver at Texas A&M, Tannehill showed enough promise as a quarterback in his final two seasons for the Dolphins to pull the trigger with the 8th overall pick in the 2012 draft.
He was a solid starting-caliber quarterback for the Dolphins, but they moved on after the 2018 season, trading him to Tennessee. That is when his career took off. He came in as a backup for Marcus Mariota but snatched the job after a few games.
In his first season with head coach Mike Vrabel, Tannehill won Comeback Player of the Year and went to the Pro Bowl. In 2020, he fired up 40 total touchdowns and helped the Titans to an 11-5 record. A year later, he quarterbacked the Titans to the top seed in the AFC. In both seasons, the Titans lost their first playoff game.
A disappointing 2022 season was followed by the 2023 campaign that ended with him on the bench.
Tannehill has started 151 career games and has thrown for 216 touchdowns and 115 interceptions.
The veteran will turn 37. Minnesota’s QB rumor mill will resolve itself one way or another. At some point, the Vikings will have to make a decision.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt