Vikings QB Joins Cincinnati Bengals
The Minnesota Vikings have reshuffled their quarterbacks this offseason. All four of last year’s active crew are off the team. It all started with Sam Darnold signing with the Seattle Seahawks to take over as their starting quarterback. Nick Mullens will be Trevor Lawrence’s backup in Jacksonville, and Daniel Jones snatched the starting spot from Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis.
Vikings QB Joins Cincinnati Bengals
The fourth guy was Brett Rypien. He re-signed in Minnesota to start the offseason, and for a long time, he was the only other quarterback on the roster besides the freshly anointed starter J.J. McCarthy. For a while, it was even reasonable to believe that he could be the new QB2 in the building.
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.”
In April, the Vikings added Sam Howell and Max Brosmer on the same day. Brosmer outplayed Rypien in the preseason and earned the QB3 job; Howell was traded to Philadelphia after some struggles. Carson Wentz was added to fill the QB2 void, and Rypien, well, he was cut.
It took him only a few days to find his next destination. On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals added the veteran, pairing him with another ex-Viking, Jake Browning, as Joe Burrow’s wingmen.
Bengals media personality James Rapien noted from the passer’s first practice session, “The Bengals signed Brett Rypien to the practice squad. He’ll wear No. 11. Cincinnati was clearly underwhelmed by Desmond Ridder’s performance in training camp and the third preseason game… So they went out and got Rypien.”
Ridder, a 2022 draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons, was cut on Tuesday.
Rypien finds another coach from the Sean McVay tree to employ him. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was affiliated with McVay’s Rams prior to his promotion to an NFL head coach.
Vikings Territory’s Dustin Baker wrote about the former Viking: “It’s also worth noting that the Vikings’ brass spoke glowingly about Rypien for much of the offseason. Moreover, Rypien balled out in the 2024 preseason with the Chicago Bears. He did no such thing in Minnesota this month.”
He lit up the preseason in 2024, but his 2025 performance was truly underwhelming. The offense stalled with him under center and was clearly more explosive with Brosmer calling the shots.
In the preseason finale, Kevin O’Connell allowed the two passers to compete with each other, alternating the QBs in quarters to give them comparable opponents and supporting casts. That comparison didn’t end well for the veteran. Throughout the preseason, he completed 15 of 29 passes for 151 yards and an interception. He didn’t find the endzone.
Rypien has played in ten 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, and Minnesota Vikings.
The Bengals will be featured in the 29-year-old’s updated resume. In Week 3, the Vikings will host the Bengals.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.