Is Max Brosmer the Vikings’ Next QB3?
A large swath of Vikings beat reporters have added former Gophers’ QB Max Brosmer to their 53-man roster projection after the first preseason game. But the Jaren Hall saga suggests that Brosmer still has an uphill battle ahead of him.
In the 5th round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Vikings selected QB Jaren Hall out of BYU. Hall had a rough first season, but he showed signs of greatness in the 2024 preseason, even garnering an elite 90.4 PFF grade in the 2nd preseason game against the Browns.
Yet even with all that—the cost in draft capital, the season of experience with the Kevin O’Connell system, the promising signs of improvement—the Vikings still decided to release Hall in favor of Brett Rypien, a player who hadn’t even managed to make the Bears’ 53-man roster, had never played for O’Connell before, and hadn’t benefited from a training camp with the Vikings.
The lesson is clear: the Vikings really like Brett Rypien—far more than the average Vikings fan does. Indeed, before his rough preseason game, Rypien looked like a serious contender to overtake Sam Howell for the Vikings’ QB2 job. It’s hard to imagine that one bad day will send Rypien all the way to QB4, which is almost certainly a prerequisite for Brosmer to make it onto the 53-man roster.
Furthermore, while Brosmer had a good day in his first preseason game, it was not without flaws. Brosmer’s TD drive very easily could have ended on an interception, but Texans CB D’Angelo Ross wasn’t quite able to secure the pass, and Brosmer got bailed out by a roughing the passer penalty.
Later, a botched snap (which seemed to be at least partially Brosmer’s fault) resulted in a lost fumble. Brosmer’s PFF grade of 70.0 reflects a generally solid game but with room for improvement, and it’s worth noting that it was achieved in the 4th quarter against 3rd-team defenders.
Finally, there is also the possibility that—like last year—the Vikings will ultimately decide that they prefer a QB3 who is cut by another team over either of the guys they already have in the building. Brosmer, thus, is competing not only against Rypien, but also against roster bubble QBs from around the league.
It’s understandable that local media and fans—many of whom are also Gophers’ fans—have a preference for the local college star. But there is still a lot of preseason and training camp left to go, and if Brosmer wants to make the roster, he needs to show that his solid first preseason game wasn’t just beginners’ luck.