The 3 Best Vikings QB Options
Already, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and HC Kevin O’Connell have publicly acknowledged the obvious: the quarterback room needs competition. Exploring the best Vikings QB options therefore makes some sense.
Presumably, there’s some internal discontent (regret?) about how things unfolded at the game’s most important position. After all, the 9-8 Vikings have witnessed Seattle claim the conference before journeying to the Super Bowl with QBs who were all there for the taking. Minnesota can’t afford to make the same mistake again (especially Coach O’Connell).
Seeing who is out there in free agency, among the cut candidates, and on the trade market makes a pile of sense. At the very least, the Vikings need to add one promising passer even if the hope remains that J.J. McCarthy shines from 2026 onward.
The 3 Best Vikings QB Options
FA Option: Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers
Plundering the Packers will always have some appeal in the Twin Cities.
In Mr. Willis, the Vikings would be a welcoming a still-young passer who may embrace the chance to fully explode in Minnesota. A year of high-end play as a Viking could realistically setup a major payday in the offseason of 2027.
Consider the assessment from PFF: “Willis has logged just 547 career snaps, but he showed enough in his lone start this season to draw significant interest as a free agent. While the sample size is limited, he has produced a 4.8% big-time throw rate against a 1.8% turnover-worthy play rate over his career to date.”
Last offseason, Daniel Jones very infamously opted for the Colts due (at least in part) to a belief in being capable of winning the QB1 job. Any chance Willis sees something similar in Minnesota? He’s only 26.
Honorable Mention: Russell Wilson, New York Giants
Cut Option: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals may opt to move on. After all, the Kyler Murray era has been underwhelming and the team recently opted to move on from head coach Jonathan Gannon, who is now the DC in Green Bay. Isn’t it time for a reset?
The best outcome for the Cards is to construct a trade. The NFL has enough teams with lousy quarterback positions — Jets? Dolphins? Falcons? — that a trade partner should materialize. If, however, one doesn’t, then maybe Murray in Minnesota does make sense.
In 2022, Kyler Murray put pen to paper for a five-year deal sitting at $230.5 million. The coming season sees Murray carrying a cap charge nearing $53 million, a number that’s not worth it. Even with a good portion of that cap charge sticking around on Arizona’s cap, Minnesota isn’t in a financial position to inherit a beefy QB contract via trade (which is to say nothing of hollowing out the cap picks cupboard in the process).
At 28, Murray has plenty of football left in him. His career has involved completing a robust 67.1% of his passes.
Honorable Mention: Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Trade Option: Justin Fields, New York Jets
For a time, reasonable skepticism existed about adding Sam Darnold. Wasn’t he a bust? Justin Fields may be thought of similarly.
The quarterback will arrive at his 27th birthday in March, meaning he still has plenty of football in him. He stands at 6’3″ and weighs 227 pounds, giving him an ideal build to play quarterback in the NFL. Note, as well, that he ran a blistering 4.45 forty, a time that’s nearly identical to the speed of Justin Jefferson.
So far, Mr. Fields has tried and failed to fully lock down the starting QB job as a Bear, Steeler, and Jet. Along the way, Justin Fields has a 16-37 record to stand alongside completing 61.4% of his passes. The career touchdown-to-interception ratio sits at 52/32.
The Jets would free up $11 million by trading out the passer whom they benched. A cut, in contrast, would only free up $1 million.
Honorable Mention: Jameis Winston, New York Giants
