The Max Brosmer Dream Was Short-Lived
The Vikings quarterback carousel took another turn on Sunday, when Max Brosmer was asked to captain the flawed offense. With J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz sidelined, head coach Kevin O’Connell had to turn to his third option. The results looked like what one might expect from an undrafted rookie in his first-ever NFL start.
The Max Brosmer Dream Was Short-Lived
Given the subpar play from starter McCarthy, Vikings fans had some hope that Brosmer could even give the struggling offense a spark. Comparisons with Brock Purdy were popular among fans and even made their way into the booth, where announcers Joe Davis and Greg Olsen mentioned the similarities.
Purdy gathered a ton of experience in college and was the final pick of the draft. Then, he was supposed to be a depth player behind highly-drafted starter Trey Lance and veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo. Furthermore, neither Brosmer nor Purdy is a physical freak by any means. They win with football smarts, at least in theory.
The decision-making skills must have left Brosmer prior to the game, as he inexplicably tossed the ball into the hands of a Seahawks defender for a pick-six. It was the first of his four interceptions, and the envisioned spark was nowhere to be found. A couple of drops paired with slow processing and inaccurate passes made the offense look not too dissimilar from what it has been with McCarthy.
Brosmer mentioned after the game that he was too quick on some reads, “I got to a couple routes too quickly today, and we could have had some bigger hits on those completions. There’s a very small gap where if you throw it too early it’s not going to be, you know – there’s no chance to complete it. But that’s a learning moment for me, and something that I’ll continue to draw on from here and use it as experience for the next time.”
The first-time starter completed 19 of 30 passes for 126 yards. He couldn’t lead a scoring drive and finished the game without a touchdown but with four interceptions.
Fans hoped to find their savior in the rookie, but he needed only one game to prove that he’s not the next Purdy and won’t be the answer at the quarterback position the franchise is looking for. Unfortunately, sophomore McCarthy hasn’t provided much reason to think that he could be The Guy either, putting the franchise in a tough position.
If he’s cleared from his concussion this week, McCarthy will have the opportunity to show some growth in the remaining five games of the season.
The expectation, however, is that he’ll be joined by a serious competitor in the upcoming offseason. Just look at the Indianapolis Colts. Anthony Richardson failed to stay healthy through his first two seasons, and when he was available, he struggled to move the ball. The Colts acquired Daniel Jones to challenge him, and the veteran ran away with the job.
For the Vikings, that person could be Mac Jones, who has displayed some QB1 talent when he stepped in for Purdy earlier this year. It would cost a draft pick to acquire the former first-rounder, as he signed a two-year deal in the 2025 offseason.
Whether the Vikings add Jones, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, or Kyler Murray remains a mystery, but we now have clarity about Brosmer’s chances to fill that void.
The 24-year-old can still be a long-term backup at the NFL level, but we can probably retire any serious QB1 hopes for the undrafted rookie.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.