Chilly weighs in on Vikings QB's...

The 2008 Vikings grinded their way to a 10-win season and NFC North title largely because of Adrian Peterson’s 1,760 rushing yards and a stout defense.

Third-year QB Tarvaris Jackson and veteran Gus Frerotte split QB duties, with Jackson getting the nod in a shaky 26-14 loss to the Eagles in the playoffs.

After that game, Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid gave his former assistant-turned Vikings head coach Brad Childress some blunt advice.

“I sat with him for a while and he said, ‘You’ve got a good football team. If you can figure out that quarterback thing, you’re going to have a great football team. And so, you know, that was on my mind, but it’s always on your mind. If you don’t have [a quarterback], you’re always looking for one, and that’s everybody across the NFL.”

The Vikings have been looking for one during much of their history, and that certainly applies to the upcoming season.

Let’s get into some more of Childress’s thoughts on the past and present Vikings QBs at the start of todays’ 10 things to know:

Brett Favre enters the equation

Childress and the Vikings responded to that playoff defeat in 2008 by first acquiring veteran Sage Rosenfels to compete with Jackson and later, of course, by bringing in Hall of Famer Brett Favre. There is never a perfect comparison for that, but the 2026 Vikings have responded to last year’s disappointment by bringing back Wentz and adding Kyler Murray.

The new combination worked spectacularly as the Vikings went 12-4 and almost went to the Super Bowl with Favre directing a much-improved passing game. “When Favre showed up, he starts to take the first rep and his voice comes out,” Childress said.

“Everybody kind of looked and says, ‘Oh, that’s what it’s supposed to sound like.’” It’s worth noting that the 2008 and 2009 squads are the last Vikings teams to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

The comfort of an experienced quarterback

Bringing in Murray is obviously not the same as bringing in Favre for a number of reasons, but this parallel is apt: After multiple years trying to develop Jackson as a starter, Childress turned to a veteran option that was more of a sure thing. O’Connell has done that, at least to a degree, by bringing in Murray after McCarthy’s struggles to perform and stay healthy. What’s the value of having a veteran QB? “You can’t underestimate that from a leadership standpoint,” Childress said. “I know Carson Wentz is in that room. He’s been in a number of different systems. It just depends on how giving everybody is. You hope there’s a camaraderie in the room and that there’s not a divide.”

J.J. McCarthy vs. Kyler Murray

Childress, like most of us, noticed McCarthy tended to get overwhelmed at times in 2025 (“frenetic” is the word he used). Murray, he said, has plenty of arm strength and will help the Vikings with his ability to extend plays. The real challenge for both quarterbacks, in his estimation, is being able to trust that plays will develop. ”I think the biggest question for both of those guys will be, ‘Can you stand in the pocket and look at it, and, are you able to be an anticipatory thrower?’” Childress said. “You can’t wait till you see the whites of a guy’s eyes. A lot of times you’ve got to anticipate and stick it in a spot over a linebacker in front of a defensive back and let him run into that throw.”

The importance of training camp

Childress said he plans to get out to Vikings training camp when it opens in a couple weeks to see the quarterbacks for himself. He said that when he was an assistant in Kansas City, coaches had to give a letter grade to everyone in their position group every day. If the Vikings do anything similar, that will underscore what is at stake for Murray and McCarthy.

Are the Vikings a QB away?

I asked Childress if he thinks the 2026 Vikings are like the 2009 Vikings: A quarterback away from being a great team. “I don’t think they can be a good team if they don’t have a quarterback that they rely on,” he said.

STRIB