Ex-Vikings QB Axed After Trade
The NFL’s quarterback carousel has spun all year. Minnesota’s squad has already had three different quarterbacks take snaps in games, although rookie Max Brosmer has only had mop-up duties in Week 3 and a kneel-down in Week 5. Carson Wentz began to replace injured starter J.J. McCarthy after only two games.
Ex-Vikings QB Axed After Trade
For a while, the Vikings also employed Desmond Ridder as the emergency quarterback, but he was released last week, leaving only two healthy quarterbacks.
The guy who held the emergency QB slot all of last season is now available again, as Brett Rypien was released by the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the odd man out following Cincinnati’s trade for benched Cleveland Browns passer Joe Flacco.
The Bengals announced on their website, “The Bengals today acquired QB Joe Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick from the Cleveland Browns for Cincinnati’s ’26 fifth-round draft choice. The Bengals also released QB Brett Rypien.”
Flacco will challenge backup Jake Browning for the starting role while standout signal-caller Joe Burrow is dealing with his toe injury that is expected to sideline him for at least another two months. Veteran Flacco had previously been benched for Dillon Gabriel, whom the Vikings had to face in his Browns starting debut.
The Bengals hope he can give their offense a boost, as Browning continues to rack up picks. Browning has collected six touchdowns and eight interceptions, including three picks in the recent defeat against the Detroit Lions. Flacco’s play has been underwhelming this year, with only two touchdowns and six interceptions, but it’s quite hard to find reliable starters in October without paying a premium.
Regardless, there’s apparently no room for Rypien on the roster. The long-time NFL depth player went from potentially taking over for Browning to the chopping block in the blink of an eye.
The Vikings released Rypien after the preseason, following the swap of Sam Howell for Carson Wentz, and preferred to go with Brosmer into the 2025 campaign. The Bengals and head coach Zac Taylor then hired him. Rypien is a favorite of coaches from the Sean McVay coaching tree, and both Kevin O’Connell and Taylor have stints with the Rams in their resumes.
In March, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said about the veteran: “Brett Rypien, [is] somebody we brought in last offseason, we thought [he] made a lot of great decisions, quick decision-making, processing, better athlete than people give him credit for, accurate passer, so we’re excited about him.”
None of that was visible in the preseason, when he had the chance to beat Brosmer for the QB3 spot, perhaps even challenge Howell for the backup position. Instead, Rypien was outplayed by Brosmer, and the offense stalled whenever O’Connell sent the veteran onto the field.
Rypien has played in 11 career games with four starts. His statistics show 950 passing yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He spent time with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted player out of Boise State, as well as the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Cincinnati Bengals.
There’s a chance the Bengals re-sign him to the practice squad. If they don’t, he’ll hope another McVay disciple (or another coach) wants to pick the QB’s brain. In theory, the Vikings might give him a call, as they don’t have a fourth quarterback on the roster, and both McCarthy and Wentz enter the bye week banged up.
Rypien turned 29 this summer.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.