Next QB? Look beyond the names you are hearing?

[Montana Tom]

One veteran player hasn’t come up much in connection to the Vikings, but would fit their QB room perfectly.

The two most popular candidates to share the Vikings’ quarterback room with J.J. McCarthy are Mac Jones and Kirk Cousins. The Vikings might not be able to land either.

Jones is the backup with the San Francisco 49ers and is a favorite target of speculative Vikings fans.

But why would the 49ers, who have championship aspirations, and a starting quarterback who is frequently injured, trade their high-quality backup? And what would it cost if they did?

Cousins recently reworked his massive contract with the Atlanta Falcons so that he could become a free agent this summer. He would be ideal for the Vikings as someone who has succeeded in the Vikings’ system, but would he come back to Minnesota to back up a less-accomplished quarterback, and how much would the Vikings be willing to pay someone who might not see the field?

While Jones and Cousins will become the stars of Speculation Season, I think there are more logical targets out there.

McCarthy should be the Vikings’ starter entering 2026. But the Vikings can’t be assured he will stay healthy or keep the job. So what they need is someone who can win games if needed but not someone who will come to town with the expectation of starting.

This will require some needle-threading.

Let’s look at what they did last year.

They traded for Sam Howell, who failed almost immediately.

They picked up Carson Wentz as a “street” free agent, meaning he was sitting at home.

They tried Max Brosmer, who had played one year of major college football.

My suggestion: How about doing none of the above this offseason?

I think there is a sleeper candidate who is being overlooked.

He has not only played in a Super Bowl, he had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before Patrick Mahomes took over the game.

His postseason record is 4-2.

His career completion percentage is 67.4, better than Cousins’ 66.7 or Jones’ 66.5.

He has learned under two of the best offensive coaches in football in Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.

Because he plays for McVay, he is familiar with the offense run by Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.

This player has a far better résumé than Daniel Jones, Cousins or Sam Darnold did before those players arrived in Minnesota.

And because he’s been a backup the past two seasons, he’s healthy and couldn’t make realistic demands about being a starter.

He might also look at the Vikings’ current quarterback situation the way Jones looked at Indianapolis’ last offseason. Jones thought he could beat out young Anthony Richardson, and he was right.

Who am I talking about?

You’ve probably guessed by now: Jimmy Garoppolo.

The name might not excite you. I would encourage you to compare his résumé with every other attainable quarterback on the market.

Now, if Joe Burrow demands a trade from Cincinnati, he would become the subject of a bidding war, and the Vikings would probably at least try to acquire him.

But there is a problem with Burrow: He makes a massive amount of money. To acquire him would cost draft picks, players and funds, which would leave the Vikings in the same situation that Burrow is now trying to extricate himself from — a team that pays its skill-position players so much money that it can’t fund an offensive line or defense.

Garoppolo is on a one-year deal with the Rams. Unless Matthew Stafford retires and the Rams are willing to hand the job to Garoppolo, he will likely be looking for a place where he can make one more run as a starter.

With McCarthy and Garoppolo, the Vikings would have a talented youngster and an accomplished veteran in the room, with Brosmer as their developmental quarterback.

The Vikings could do a lot worse. We know, because they did a lot worse at the backup quarterback position this season.

credit:  Souhan/Strib

[purplefaithful]

I would be perfectly fine with Jimmy G in the QB room this year...Probably more so than Rogers tbh.

I reserve the right to edit this post after the Steelers play their first rd playoff game too

[JR44]

I just about puked reading this, Jimmy G is the last thing other than Rodgers that we need, if we wanted a weak arm Cousins, why not just get Cousins. Not that I think Cousins is the answer either. We need someone who can seriously compete for the job. I do not think JJM should be the starter going into next year, he can compete and win it if he deserves to, but no way based on his performance this year should he be named the starter. .

[MaroonBells]

Jimmy G is definitely a viable option given his experience in the McVay offense, which is very similar to ours. He's only 34 and can play too. But he's decidedly on the backup end of the continuum along with Mariota and a few others. If the Vikings want a starter or even someone who can legitimately compete with JJ, they'll have to aim higher.

[comet52]

There's no world in which the Vikings hire a starter and put JJM on the bench. That's basically the end of JJM in purple if it happens, because they aren't going to run him back in his 4th year (if KAM/KOC even still have jobs then) to FAFO JJM.

They sold ownership on the draft/develop a qb on a rookie contract idea and jettisoned Darnold and by default Jones in the process. The process isn't going to now morph into, "Quick, find a starter, call Aaron Rodgers!" Who btw will either play in Pittsburgh again next year or retire, he will not be in purple.

What they need is a backup who can run KOC's YOLO shit that he loves so much and I can think of one guy who would be just right, but like several potential backups out there, he's under contract. But that should not be a huge issue because his team is about to hire a new HC and he might not be in their plans and they probably would take a low level draft pick for him if they don't just cut him. And that's Jameis Winston.

And yes he's a turnover machine but so is Sam Darnold who leads the league this year and certainly showed no signs of slowing down in that department when he was with us. It doesn't matter. He's entertaining, looks like a hero on one play and a heel the next, he's a YOLO-ball savant, and the 2026 Vikings are going to need to find a way to be entertaining because unless there is some sort of miracle improvement from JJM, whoever they get to quarterback this thing is simply not going to be elite, and if Flores leaves the defense that has carried the team for the last few years is likely to fall off badly.

KOC hates the 12 personnel, run-oriented stuff that JJM is best suited for. And taking into account JJM's mechanical, accuracy and maturity issues, none of which look like they will be easily fixed, I see KOC/KAM running him back but with a guy like Winston at the ready. This gives KOC the flexibility to pull JJM off the field at any time during the season, but doesn't require a big spend or a promise of starting time to Winston when he's acquired. I guarantee you that as soon as he gets to the point where he can legit bench JJM without blowback from ownership or whoever makes the real decisions over at TCO, he will breathe a huge sigh of relief and get back to calling epic-fail triple reverse tight end option deep shots on 3rd or 4th and 1.

[smleh]

One veteran player hasn’t come up much in connection to the Vikings, but would fit their QB room perfectly.

The two most popular candidates to share the Vikings’ quarterback room with J.J. McCarthy are Mac Jones and Kirk Cousins. The Vikings might not be able to land either.

Jones is the backup with the San Francisco 49ers and is a favorite target of speculative Vikings fans.

But why would the 49ers, who have championship aspirations, and a starting quarterback who is frequently injured, trade their high-quality backup? And what would it cost if they did?

Cousins recently reworked his massive contract with the Atlanta Falcons so that he could become a free agent this summer. He would be ideal for the Vikings as someone who has succeeded in the Vikings’ system, but would he come back to Minnesota to back up a less-accomplished quarterback, and how much would the Vikings be willing to pay someone who might not see the field?

While Jones and Cousins will become the stars of Speculation Season, I think there are more logical targets out there.

McCarthy should be the Vikings’ starter entering 2026. But the Vikings can’t be assured he will stay healthy or keep the job. So what they need is someone who can win games if needed but not someone who will come to town with the expectation of starting.

This will require some needle-threading.

Let’s look at what they did last year.

They traded for Sam Howell, who failed almost immediately.

They picked up Carson Wentz as a “street” free agent, meaning he was sitting at home.

They tried Max Brosmer, who had played one year of major college football.

My suggestion: How about doing none of the above this offseason?

I think there is a sleeper candidate who is being overlooked.

He has not only played in a Super Bowl, he had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before Patrick Mahomes took over the game.

His postseason record is 4-2.

His career completion percentage is 67.4, better than Cousins’ 66.7 or Jones’ 66.5.

He has learned under two of the best offensive coaches in football in Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.

Because he plays for McVay, he is familiar with the offense run by Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.

This player has a far better résumé than Daniel Jones, Cousins or Sam Darnold did before those players arrived in Minnesota.

And because he’s been a backup the past two seasons, he’s healthy and couldn’t make realistic demands about being a starter.

He might also look at the Vikings’ current quarterback situation the way Jones looked at Indianapolis’ last offseason. Jones thought he could beat out young Anthony Richardson, and he was right.

Who am I talking about?

You’ve probably guessed by now: Jimmy Garoppolo.

The name might not excite you. I would encourage you to compare his résumé with every other attainable quarterback on the market.

Now, if Joe Burrow demands a trade from Cincinnati, he would become the subject of a bidding war, and the Vikings would probably at least try to acquire him.

But there is a problem with Burrow: He makes a massive amount of money. To acquire him would cost draft picks, players and funds, which would leave the Vikings in the same situation that Burrow is now trying to extricate himself from — a team that pays its skill-position players so much money that it can’t fund an offensive line or defense.

Garoppolo is on a one-year deal with the Rams. Unless Matthew Stafford retires and the Rams are willing to hand the job to Garoppolo, he will likely be looking for a place where he can make one more run as a starter.

With McCarthy and Garoppolo, the Vikings would have a talented youngster and an accomplished veteran in the room, with Brosmer as their developmental quarterback.

The Vikings could do a lot worse. We know, because they did a lot worse at the backup quarterback position this season.

credit:  Souhan/Strib

Weak arm, injury prone and suspended 2 games for PED. No.

[FLVike]

It's amazing how the talent at QB has diminished through the years. The issue could have something to do with poor coaching. To find a guy like a Wade Wilson is next to impossible.

[rf54]

There's no world in which the Vikings hire a starter and put JJM on the bench. 

or he gets hurt, again...

[MaroonBells]

Interesting that all of Baker's options here are young, direct competitions with JJ McCarthy. Murray would be the de facto starter given what we'd be paying him. Just not sure how likely that is. I could be wrong but I think there's a better chance we more aim at the aging veteran backup who could start and not hurt you. 


Ranking the Vikings’ Best QB Fixes for 2026
Dustin Baker

Because of J.J. McCarthy’s lengthy injury transcript and his rocky performance in 2025, plus the Minnesota Vikings’ leadership mandate to “win now” next season, a different quarterback is almost certainly on the way during the 2026 offseason. This publication ranks the best, most realistic options.

Minnesota needs a credible QB2 plan behind McCarthy, and these realistic targets fit Kevin O’Connell’s approach and the cap situation.

What this analysis will not do is suggest a bombastic fix like, “Just trade for Joe Burrow,” because the Cincinnati Bengals would need Luka Doncic-level decision-making to trade him. Focusing on realism is the wiser method.

5. Trade a Late-Rounder for Will Levis

Levis could be on the move this offseason. He’s spent this year parked on injured reserve, and Tennessee may have already seen enough from Cam Ward to consider a Levis trade. The arm talent from Levis is real, but the platter comes with erratic decisions and a habit of inviting mayhem.

In Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback environment, that skill set becomes more manageable. Structure and repetition with O”Connell have a way of sharpening raw traits, and Levis would at least bring upside worth pondering.

4. Trade a Late-Rounder for Anthony Richardson

The Indianapolis Colts used the fourth overall pick on Anthony Richardson in 2023, knowing he was as raw as they get from the draft’s Top 10 and insisting they’d be patient with his maturation. How long did that experiment last? Oh, 15 starts.

The Colts compiled an 8-7 record with Richardson under center, but pulled the plug last summer after Daniel Jones played so well at training camp, and Richardson’s injury history is extensive.

Somewhere, Richardson will eventually deserve a chance to start again, just to make sure coaches have exhausted all QB1 efforts in him. Why not the Vikings? General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could probably get Richardson for a 6th-Round pick.

He has all the talent in his toolkit to succeed, and that’s why the Colts spent the fourth overall pick on him.

3. Sign Malik Willis from Free Agency

Willis has logged just 58 dropbacks this season, but the efficiency in that small window has been sweet. By EPA+CPOE, he’s been the most efficient quarterback in the league. That pace probably isn’t sustainable forever, but the seeds are there.

Willis is quietly rebuilding his career, and someone will give him a real QB1 audition in July and August. Minnesota could be one of the teams willing to see whether the progress holds.

He’ll probably cost somewhere between $15 million and $25 million per season. That’s chump change for a quarterback, especially as the Vikings won’t have to trade anything to get him.

2. Trade a Mid-Rounder for Mac Jones

Jones has revived his career in San Francisco. He got the full 49ers gift-wrapping.

These are his stats from 2025 stretched across a 17-game sample:
4,570 Passing Yards
28 Passing TDs
13 INTs
69.6% Completion

Does that path look familiar? Two years ago, Sam Darnold followed a similar arc under Kyle Shanahan and Klint Kubiak. Kubiak has since reunited with Darnold in Seattle, but the Shanahan thread connecting that turnaround to Jones is still in play.

Jones now sits in that same rebound lane, alongside the Daniel Jones revival template. Quarterback-needy teams will take notice of Jones this offseason. The question is whether Minnesota would consider sending a mid-round pick to San Francisco and whether that kind of swing would justify the cost.

Jones won’t come cheap. The 49ers locked him into a two-year deal last offseason, giving themselves the option to keep him in reserve for 2026 if Brock Purdy’s injury history continues to raise eyebrows.

The Alabama alumnus perfectly fits what Minnesota needs in a 2026: a passer ready to start as the QB1, if needed, but familiar with a QB2 role if McCarthy rises to stardom. He blends team need and contract affordability.

There’s just no way to know if he’s for sale.

1. Trade a Mid-Rounder for Kyler Murray

Murray has the mobility, arm strength, accuracy, experience, not-old age (28), and clutch gene to lead the Vikings. He’s the fifth-most accurate quarterback in NFL history (67.1%). He ran a 4.38 forty before the 2019 NFL Draft.

If the Arizona Cardinals make him available — they sure as hell appeared to “softly bench” him this year in favor of Jacoby Brissett — this is probably the best quarterback that Minnesota can realistically obtain this offseason.

Will he stifle McCarthy’s maturation? Probably. Yet, through a lens of Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell needing to win now, shoving their chips into the middle of the table for Murray makes the most sense. He’s not cheap; his cap number in 2026 is $53 million. Accordingly, the Vikings would probably have to rip up his contract, give him a handsome new one, and backload the deal. That’s feasible.

Quarterbacks with Murray’s talent and still-to-reach upside don’t become available on the open market very often. Should Arizona make him available — or flippantly release him — the 2026 Vikings would probably pounce.

Not for nothing, Murray’s trade price won’t be obscene like the price for Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson (two passers in Vikings fans’ shoot-for-stars plan). Adofo-Mensah might be able to send a 2nd- or 3rd-Rounder to the Cardinals for Murray.

[JimmyinSD]

only 2 from that list interest me, willis if he doesnt want stupid money, this is not a guaranteed situation and he shouldnt get assumed starter money, anything north of 20 would have him off my radar, and the other is Richardson, only because he is still relatively cheap, still has a 5th year option available, and is young enough that any time invested in him wont be a waste even if he is only the #2.

my rules for the QB this offseason is no trade value higher than a 6th or 7th rounder, no contract paying more than 15-20 million (although I think that is probably 3-4 times more than we should be spending), and no implied starting status. JJM is our starter until he isnt IMO.