The Minnesota Vikings are liable to act quickly in their effort to replace backup quarterback Carson Wentz, who will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that requires surgery to repair.
Minnesota can look to either free agency or the trade market to find a new QB2 behind second-year starter J.J. McCarthy, who the team expects to return to action on Nov. 2 against the Detroit Lions following a seven-week absence because of a high-ankle sprain he suffered in Week 2.
There aren’t a ton of great options in free agency, though there may not be too many choices at all via trade either, as most teams have their starter and backup quarterbacks locked in and won’t be looking to part with either at this point in the year. Beyond that, the NFL trade deadline is Nov. 4, which is just over one week away.
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The Vikings are most likely looking for a veteran considering McCarthy has started just two games in his career and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer has attempted just eight passes this season, and those are the only two signal-callers currently on Minnesota’s roster.
One player who could make sense for the Vikings is Desmond Ridder, who joined the team following McCarthy’s ankle sprain and served as the third-string/emergency QB for a couple of weeks before Minnesota parted ways with Ridder ahead of its Week 5 contest against the Cleveland Browns in London, England.
“Minnesota announced Desmond Ridder, who has been [the team’s] emergency QB since J.J. McCarthy suffered a high-ankle sprain during Week 2, has been waived,” Craig Peters of Vikings.com wrote on Oct. 4. “McCarthy was ruled out Friday, and Carson Wentz will make his third start for Minnesota.”
The Atlanta Falcons drafted Ridder in the third round in 2022. He played two seasons in Atlanta before joining the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024. All told, Ridder has appeared in 25 games and started 18 of those, earning a record of 8-10. He has thrown for 4,002 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions over the course of his career.
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