The Vikings Said “No Thanks” to a Pile Quarterbacks
Lately, there has been some an avalanche of discussion about what’s unfolding at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
J.J. McCarthy (good kid) is a terrible quarterback. In time (I believe), McCarthy will become a good quarterback, but that’s off into the future. The simple fact that the Vikings said “no thanks” to all of Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Aaron Rodgers — all of whom are light years ahead of McCarthy — is leading to the online version of getting tarred-and-feathered.
Consider, though, that there were plenty more passer possibilities.
There was ample interest in Minnesota’s quarterback depth back in March and April. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t shy about spending money. But while the trenches took terrific money while other roster areas got beefed up, the Vikings avoided adding an extra passer until trading for Sam Howell in the 2025 NFL Draft before adding Max Brosmer following the event. The decision to punt on QB has aged poorly.
Vikings Said “No Thanks” to a Pile of Passers
The NFL free agent frenzy wasn’t calm for backups passers (as Over the Cap helps us to see).
At the top end of things was Russell Wilson, a one-time franchise passer who got brought to New York to be the temporary QB1 (he has now been demoted). He carries a cap charge a hair above $11 million, a medium amount that could fit in Minnesota’s finances. And then there’s Jameis Winston working as a Giant, someone operating on a two-year deal for just $8 million total. Would Winston be capable of thriving in Minnesota?
Lately, there has been some discussion of Mac Jones, someone doing well over in San Francisco.
Jones possesses a two-year contract coming in at a total of $7 million. In other words, a total bargain for someone offering excellent play as a backup. In nine games, Jones has gone 5-3 for the 49ers while completing 69.6% of his throws (a sizzling completion rate). He has piled up 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.
One could turn the attention to Jacoby Brissett. Or Marcus Mariota. Or Justin Fields. Or Drew Lock. Or … on and on it goes.
In the end, the Vikings finally waved the white flag, but only once the offseason was almost completely over. The backup spot wasn’t good enough, even with Brosmer exceeding expectations. The decision was made to trade Howell while moving on from Brett Rypien, as well.
Avoiding a season where there was only J.J. McCarthy alongside Max Brosmer meant bringing Carson Wentz to town, a veteran who demanded very little on the cap (roughly $1.2 million). Wentz proved to be vital for several weeks, but he’s now working through his recovery for a season-ending injury. John Wolford has since been added to function as a veteran guide.
One wonders how much arrogance went into the current disaster.
The Vikings could have kept one of the higher-end veterans: Darnold, Jones, or Rodgers. So, too, could they have opted for a more accomplished veteran, grafting someone onto the roster in March or April so as to allow for a full offseason to master the scheme while building toward a 2025 season with a pile of hope.
All along, the Vikings insisted that their culture was different, in no small part due to the quarterback whisperer at head coach. Combined with top-tier facilities and skill oozing out of Eagan, the Vikings failed to officially name J.J. McCarthy the starter for months while never giving him legitimate competition.
The prophecies about being capable of winning games multiple ways has fallen flat. Just being able to win games a single way would feel like a godsend for a team that’s so bad the 2026 NFL Draft is now more important than the 2025 season.
The Vikings said that J.J. McCarthy was both going to stay healthy and play well. Nowhere was the message louder than within the repeated insistence that bringing in a promising backup passer wasn’t needed for Minnesota.
The Vikings will be leaning on undrafted rookie Max Brosmer to take down Sam Darnold in Seattle on Sunday.
