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Minnesota Vikings head coach, Kevin O’Connell talking on Sirius XM on radio row at Super Bowl LIX. February 7, 2025.
The QB situation for the Minnesota Vikings is one of the biggest storylines in the NFL this offseason.
All eyes sit upon the job currently held by J.J. McCarthy, with the possibility of Minnesota going a different direction being very real.
Regardless of if it’s a starter, the Vikings will have to bring in some sort of competition for McCarthy. One name that everyone has overlooked for the most part is current Vikings QB Carson Wentz.
Wentz is currently scheduled to be a UDFA, but that doesn’t mean he can’t extend with Minnesota.
Vikings Could Reunite With QB Carson Wentz
GettyCarson Wentz #11 of the Minnesota Vikings looks to pass the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter in the game at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The possibility was brought up by Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.
“As the ethics of playing Wentz through his painful left shoulder injury became a topic of national discussion in October, sources said one of the reasons the quarterback carried no ill will toward the Vikings was because his stint as the team’s starter might help him earn a contract in 2026. Could that contract be with the Vikings? It’s possible, though the team might circle back to Wentz after considering its options at QB. Assuming Wentz, 33, plays in 2026, he’d likely do so on a one-year deal.”
For a team that needs to find value contracts due to their cap crunch, Wentz makes sense. If the Vikings are to roll with McCarthy as the starter in 2026, it’s understandable for Wentz to be the backup, seeing as he already knows the system.
The extension of Wentz may not turn many heads, but it doesn’t have to. Minnesota reuniting with Wentz makes plenty of sense. If need be, Wentz proved for the most part that he could move the ball down the field in 2025.
Minnesota Expected to Make Big Decision on T.J. Hockenson
GettyT.J. Hockenson #87 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 08, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
ESPN recently wrote up a piece on the Vikings and their major roster decisions coming soon. One of the most pivotal is the decision about T.J. Hockenson.
“The Vikings’ top two tight ends are T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, both of whom were veteran acquisitions. Their contracts combined to account for 9.6% of the team’s 2025 salary cap, fourth-highest in the NFL. Without adjustments they’ll consume more than $30 million on the 2026 cap.”
$30 million is in the neighborhood of what Sam Darnold signed on an average annual basis with the Seahawks. Surely, this isn’t a number that the Vikings want to keep a couple of mid-tier tight ends on.
“Hockenson’s production has decreased since a 2023 torn right ACL, and it’s not out of the question that the Vikings will ask him to take a pay cut or possibly move on from him altogether in 2026. In either event, they will have to be realistic about the depth behind him and Oliver.”
Minnesota could theoretically release Hockenson and have Oliver put up the same production. Hockenson only averaged roughly 3 catches and 29 yards per contest in 2025. The Vikings also have some young pieces in the tight end room they may have some excitement about.
“Adofo-Mensah used low-round picks to draft tight ends Nick Muse in 2022 and Gavin Bartholomew in 2025, but Muse moved on after the 2024 season and Bartholomew spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Ben Yurosek got 116 offensive snaps last season as an undrafted rookie, and the Vikings were excited to claim veteran Ben Sims off waivers in October, but it is impossible to project any of them for prominent roles in the 2026 offense.”
Brevan Bane Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane
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