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The Minnesota Vikings will not have as many solid quarterback options to choose from this offseason, to pair with JJ McCarthy, vs what they did this time last year.
What they do have this time around, that was lacking in February/March 2025, is an increased sense of urgency to secure a veteran quarterback who can play the position competently, should JJ prove he’s not ready.
Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings rode all the way into the 2025 NFL Draft without a legitimate backup plan for their redshirt rookie, before they finally traded for Sam Howell. It’s safe to assume they will not want to test that plan again.
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Their lack of QB motivation early on last offseason led fans and media members to believe McCarthy was further along in his development than he actually was. This time around, we know what McCarthy is, at least to this point in his career. And for now, “Nine” is not good enough to pin the 2026 season on.
Thus, the Vikings have made it extremely clear that they will not pass up an opportunity to upgrade their QB room dramatically, should the right one present itself. In fact, the question isn’t really about “if”, or even “when” Minnesota will get their new QB.
Minnesota Vikings definitely want to swing big at quarterback
Instead, it’s just a matter of which quarterback they land. Will the Vikings bring in competition for McCarthy OR will they go big on a new QB that immediately cements in as the franchise’s quarterback of the present and future?
Well from the sounds of it, the Kevin O’Connell and those who matter most at TCO Performance Center would prefer the latter. According to what Alec Lewis wrote today at The Athletic — in a national piece that listed the biggest need for every NFL team — the Vikings will look to swing big first, then react from there.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback: A quarterback to pair with J.J. McCarthy, at a bare minimum. Head coach and play caller Kevin O’Connell is entering his fifth season. The Vikings haven’t won a playoff game during that time. Constructing a quarterback room that gives Minnesota the best chance at going deeper is the primary focus. Nothing is off the table here. The Vikings may try to swing big at the position. If they can’t, they will find themselves in a similar situation to last spring. Will the Vikings guarantee the starting spot to a potential QB candidate? If not, what type of QB will they really be able to acquire?
If they get a chance to swing big, that’s what they want to do. That was supported earlier this week when a report dropped at ESPN noting that, when it comes to their QB search, “all bets are off”.
Vikings will settle for JJ McCarthy competition… but they clearly want more
Standing by themselves, these hypothetical reports don’t tell us all that much. Sure, the Vikings would love to get their hands on Joe Burrow, but if Joe Cool never comes available or Minnesota isn’t willing to pony up what it takes to pique Cincinnati’s interest, then who cares, right?
Related: Aaron Rodgers Still on MN Vikings Radar
But these insider reports are starting to pile up both locally and nationally. Meanwhile, we are inching dangerously close to the start of the NFL combine next weekend — where NFL teams gauge the rest of the league and really start to set their plans for the offseason
If the Minnesota Vikings did their early due diligence on quarterbacks this offseason, just to find out that they really had no avenue to swing big on a QB, you’d think that these kinds of reports would be dying off… not heating up.
In other words, the next couple months could be fun…
Mentioned in this article: J.J. McCarthy NFL Offseason
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