In the World of NFL Backup QBs, Another One Bites the Dust (at Least for Vikings Employment)
Scratch off another option from the list.
Tim Boyle, a long-time NFL backup QB, has put in work around the NFL. He now has a new team. Kick it over to ESPN’s Adam Schefter for the news: “Titans have signed veteran quarterback Tim Boyle, who has spent six NFL seasons with the Packers, Lions, Bears, Jets, Texans, Dolphins and Giants.”
Tim Boyle: An NFL Backup QB is Off the Market
Start off with a quick dose of reality: Mr. Boyle is, very likely, a QB2/3. More than likely, a team that employs Boyle wants him to be the third option.
The thinking in Minnesota is simply that the quarterback position is very thin. Yes, J.J. McCarthy inspires a lot of optimism — GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was outspoken in his praise — but we’re still talking about someone who lost his full rookie season due to injury. McCarthy is, in short, promising but unproven.
The rationale is simply that adding someone like Mr. Boyle would be about bringing in another arm. In all likelihood, Brett Rypien would get bumped up to QB2 (looking more and more like an option) and Tim Boyle would slot into the QB3 spot.
Back in 2018, Boyle entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Packers. He has since put in work with the Lions, Bears, Jets, Texans, Dolphins, Giants, and now the Titans. Standing behind that basic resume is a history of working alongside an excellent passer such as Aaron Rodgers (the Green Bay stop) as well as a young, promising passer such as C.J. Stroud (the Houston stop).
The 30-year-old passer offers excellent size at 6’4″ and 233 pounds. His career statistics, though, are quite poor. He has appeared in 23 career games, completing 60.5% of his passes for 1,210 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
As a starter, Boyle is 0-5.
Adding Tim Boyle would be appealing due to his experience, size, and the fact that he’ll be cheap (meaning he won’t take away a comp pick). The downside is that his on-field performance has been consistently poor, so his role in Minnesota would be about shoring up the depth while helping the starter to prepare.
In theory, the Vikings could have made an addition for a low-level contract, one that could easily be torn up if/when a better quarterback option became available later on. If he were to stick around, Boyle would have been a low-cost QB3 to help the young guy prepare and decode what’s taking place on the field.
Minnesota, quite evidently, isn’t in the market for that kind of quarterback. One could argue that Mr. Rypien is already filling that role. A meaningful upgrade at QB2 — Ryan Tannehill, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, etc. — seems to be the desired solution.
Minnesota is being patient in that pursuit.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
The Vikings’ Slow-Moving Conundrum
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.