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(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings had an unquestionably regressive and disappointing season in 2025, but that hasn’t had any impact on their status as a destination for players around the NFL.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported on Friday, February 13 that the top QBs in the league either headed to free agency or the trade block all prefer Minnesota as a destination over any other possibility.
“My sense right now, from asking around, is that all the top quarterbacks that will be or could be available … (Minnesota) is the place they want to go,” Fowler said.
Other QBs Unconcerned About Competing With JJ McCarthy for Starting Job
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
On one hand, the Vikings have elite pass-catching talent in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson (at least for now, though the tight end is a potential cut/trade candidate this offseason), and also have head coach Kevin O’Connell and his offensive system to offer prospective signal-callers.
On the other, JJ McCarthy is heading into just his third season, has started only 10 total games, played solidly over the last month of the campaign and was the No. 10 overall pick in 2024. Any quarterback the Vikings bring in to challenge him is going to get a shot at the starting role, but the coaching staff is unlikely to guarantee it to any of them.
Those facts combined to make a number of relevant statements, chief among them that McCarthy underachieved with what he had at his disposal last season and top veteran QBs across the NFL don’t fear him in a preseason battle.
It is also relevant that Minnesota’s defense was No. 3 overall in 2025, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores is back on a new contract extension. Flores finished third in Assistant Coach of the Year voting following the campaign.
Vikings Have Several Good, Zero Great Options at QB This Offseason
GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
What all of this means is that O’Connell and company should have their choice of players when the new league year officially begins on March 11.
Top veterans who might serve as viable one-year solutions include Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals is likely to be available via a trade.
Free agency in 2026 doesn’t offer a great deal of younger talent at the position, with an injured Daniel Jones and career backup Malik Willis as perhaps the most intriguing options under 30. Vikings fans will remember that Jones was on the roster heading into last offseason before the team let him, and Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold, leave in free agency to clear a path for McCarthy as the starter.
That was also the reason O’Connell and former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided to pass on Rodgers over the summer. He ultimately joined the Pittsburgh Steelers and led them to an AFC North Division title and a playoff appearance.
The problem for Minnesota is that none of those players is a home run swing, so while playoff contention is possible with Cousins or Rodgers or Willis, Super Bowl contention isn’t nearly as feasible.
Considering the interest in the Vikings around the league, one option for O’Connell could be to take a couple of swings.
For instance, bringing in Cousins as a former starter in his system who already knows the offense and also trading a mid-round pick for a player like Anthony Richardson or Tanner McKee, each with big upside looking for an opportunity to start at what would be each of their second stops in the NFL were they to land in Minnesota.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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