Vikings Strike Out on Top QB2 Candidate
An ongoing debate, the Minnesota Vikings need another quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy. Only Brett Rypien is under contract, and his four career touchdowns and nine interceptions aren’t inspiring. A fan favorite is off the board, though.
Vikings Strike Out on Top QB2 Candidate
The available guys on the market continue to slowly disappear, and on Friday, another name can be scratched off the board.
Joe Flacco, ironically from the same draft class as Kevin O’Connell, signs with the Cleveland Browns, not the Minnesota Vikings.
ESPN’s prominent insider, Adam Schefter, reported via social media:
“Reunion: the Cleveland Browns and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco reached agreement today on a one-year, $4 million deal worth up to $13 million with incentives, his agency @JLSports3 told ESPN. Flacco now will return to Cleveland, where he won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023. Flacco also spoke with the Steelers and Vikings but opted to spend his 18th NFL season with the Browns.”
The path to playing time is pretty obvious in Cleveland. Deshaun Watson is injured, leaving former first-rounder and trade acquisition Kenny Pickett and a potentially incoming rookie as his competition. It should be much easier to triumph over that QB room than Minnesota, where McCarthy is planned to be the guy.
Schefter added the wrinkle that the Vikes spoke with Flacco, too. Last month, Si.com’s Albert Breer noted in one of his articles, “Yes, [Flacco is] 40. But as a one-year solution, at a way cheaper rate than Cousins or Rodgers, I think the guy can still play. And the Browns, Steelers and Vikings think enough of him still to have checked on him.”
The Browns have confirmed the news.
Another prominent name off the board means Minnesota needs to hire either Ryan Tannehill or Carson Wentz if they want a former high-level performer on the team. Other options include true backup types like Drew Lock, Tyler Huntley, Easton Stick, Josh Johnson, or C.J. Beathard.
A popular theory has been that the Vikings wait until after the draft to sign their alternate quarterback to collect as many compensatory picks as possible. That wouldn’t rule out Tannehill in the present moment, as he doesn’t count toward that formula after sitting out a year.
Flacco has collected a ton of experience in bridge and backup situations over the years.
In 196 career games (191 starts), the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year has registered 45,697 passing yards, 257 passing touchdowns, and 162 interceptions, throwing passes for five different organizations.
After his long stint with the Ravens, he succeeded Case Keenum in Denver and then joined Sam Darnold on the Jets, where he spent three seasons. In 2023, the Browns called him when he had borderline retired, and last season, he faced the Vikings with the Colts.
O’Connell’s operation lost Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Daniel Jones this offseason and hasn’t signed anyone to fill that void. Flacco is no longer an option.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt