Tom Brady Rumors Ignite for Vikings
Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus last weekend, sidelining the young Wolverine for all or most of the 2024 campaign.
Tom Brady Rumors Ignite for Vikings
The injury shoved veteran passer Sam Darnold to the top of the depth chart — if he wasn’t there already — and Darnold will take the first snaps of the season in 23 days at the New York Giants.
Yet, fresh off the injury sorrow fans experienced from McCarthy, the rumor mill began hinting Tom Brady to the Vikings this week, so consider this a breakdown of the who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Brady’s Comeback Teaser
Brady turned 47 about two weeks ago and will work as an announcer this season. Generally speaking, he’s unlikely to waltz out of retirement just days or weeks into his new job.
But in April, Brady sounded more than open to a comeback. “I’m not opposed to it. I don’t know if they’re going to let me if I become the owner of an NFL team,” he said on the DeepCut with VicBlends podcast. “But I don’t know — I’m always going to be in good shape, always be able to throw the ball. To come in for a little bit like Michael Jordan coming back, I don’t know if they’d let me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
Brady also said this week on an Italian yacht: “I just want to make sure all those young bucks in the NFL know that if I still wanted to come out of retirement, they still got something to deal with.”
It’s up to the beholder to determine if he’s serious.
Where Is the Rumor Coming from?
For now, Brady to Minnesota is mainly a Vikings-site-centric rumor. These are a few examples:
MSN also included Brady in a list of Vikings replacement quarterbacks here.
“The Call” to Brady Last Year
Minnesota lost Kirk Cousins to an Achilles tear last October, and former New England Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak claimed Minnesota’s front office called Brady about a free-agent contract.
Discussing the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback options after losing Joe Burrow last season, Zolak said on The Zolak and Bertrand Show, “The Vikings reached out.”
The show’s panel was generally intrigued, if not a bit shocked, by Zolak’s breaking news at the time, but the segment didn’t dive much further into Brady-to-Vikings. After speculating that Brady would not oblige any requests from the Vikings or Bengals, Zolak declared, “Brady is done.”
This Zolak information notably occurred before Brady’s recent comeback teasers in April and August.
The O’Connell + Flores Connection
If Brady were remotely serious about a comeback, the Vikings employ two of his former coworkers. Head coach Kevin O’Connell briefly backed Brady up in 2008. The two know each other. And Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores worked for the Patriots from 2004 to 2018 in various capacities — all with Brady as New England’s QB1.
If there were ever a duo on a current NFL team to get Brady on the phone or a Zoom call, it would be the Vikings with O’Connell and Flores at the top of the ticket.
Ties to J.J. McCarthy
Right after the draft, Vikings.com published this video detailing the relationship between Brady and McCarthy, highlighting the obvious University of Michigan connection.
With McCarthy watching and learning in 2024 while recovering from the torn meniscus, it probably wouldn’t be awful for his growth to watch the “other” Michigan quarterback do the thing at QB1.
One Snap Away from Needing Brady, in Theory
For now, Sam Darnold is assuredly Minnesota’s QB1, and any Brady rumor must be caveated that an injury must arise to Darnold. However, as recently as last season, injuries ravaged Minnesota’s season — that trend has continued this summer — so it’s not far-fetched to envision a Darnold injury, especially from cynical Vikings fans.
The question, in the event of a Darnold absence, would become: Do we want Nick Mullens for the rest of the season, a platter of Jaren Hall, a free agent like Ryan Tannehill, or Brady at age 47?
The Offensive Weaponry
If Brady did stun the masses and unretire, whatever offensive checklist he’d have to decide the best fit, well, Minnesota has that.
Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill, and eventually T.J. Hockenson, plus Brian Flores’ defense.
The roster has the beef to entice Brady, believe it or not.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.