Vikings Fans Already Obsessed with One Rookie
J.J. McCarthy isn’t technically a rookie anymore, but Minnesota Vikings fans would not be denied the chance to get totally hyped about a first-year passer.
Vikings fans are already over the moon about one standout rookie after his early preseason performances, sparking excitement for his role in the 2025 season.
He’s Max Brosmer, an undrafted free agent passer from the University of Minnesota, and he electrified the Vikings’ first preseason game last weekend — a dub over the starter-less Houston Texans.
Max Brosmer Puts a Thumbprint on the Preseason
Folks will now hope that Brosmer makes the active roster in two weeks.
It’s Max Brosmer Preseason Mania
Let’s put this plainly: Brosmer looked like he belonged in the NFL on Saturday. His teammate, Brett Rypien, a veteran, played pitifully, but when Brosmer took the reins late in the preseason tryst, he stood off the page.
Brosmer delivered layered throws, the mark of a passer who can succeed in the big leagues, and generally turned heads with poise. PurplePost‘s Tanner Weber tweeted, “Max Brosmer looked extremely comfortable and accurate attacking between the hashes yesterday. Don’t think you can say that about the majority of undrafted QBs.”
One Minnesota high school football coach posted, “Former Minnesota Gophers QB Max Brosmer having himself a nice day for the Vikings.”
VikesReport wrote, “No disrespect to Sam Howell, but I want to see Brosmer on Saturday against New England.”
And some of the footage:
Gophers Background
Why the rapid fan obsession? Two reasons:
1. Brosmer earned it. He played like an unearthed gem in the first preseason game, and anything other than awe just wouldn’t make sense. Undrafted and untouted quarterbacks are supposed to struggle in the preseason — like the Texans’ quarterbacks — but Brosmer did the opposite.
2. Brosmer attended the University of Minnesota, delivering 23 total touchdowns last year. He’s considered a hometown guy, and Minnesotans love their hometowners.
Vying for a QB3 Job
Meanwhile, Brosmer has an inside track to the 53-man roster in two weeks, particularly if he performs well in the final two preseason games.
The aforementioned Rypien played dreadfully, looking woefully unprepared, which is damn near inexcusable against Houston’s third-stringers. Brosmer probably won’t have the sauce to unseat Sam Howell from his QB2 post — Howell played well versus Houston, too — but a QB3 job is within reach.
The key for Brosmer? Consistency in the next two exhibition games. A shaky display in either game could relegate him to the practice squad. Always remember, preseason games can be fool’s gold regarding individual performance. For example, wide receiver Albert Wilson caught two touchdowns in a 2023 preseason game for the Vikings, only to be released a few days later.
Two Sweet Young QBs?
Some have joked that Brosmer might be as good or better than J.J. McCarthy. While that’s outlandish for the time being, onlookers wouldn’t object to Minnesota employing two promising quarterbacks on the same depth chart.
For years, the Vikings have utilized a wily veteran as the primary backup. Why not try on a youngster like Brosmer, with his newfound upside, for size?
More on Brosmer
VikingsWire‘s Andrew Harbaugh broke down Brosmer’s preseason performance: “The former Gopher didn’t look like an undrafted rookie free agent making his first preseason appearance. Brosmer completed 5/8 passes for 47 yards.”
“He had a touchdown pass to Myles Price one play after another touchdown pass to Dontae Fleming was overturned. Brosmer was composed and found passes into tight windows, including one pass to receiver Silas Bolden that would have gained at least 20 yards had it not been dropped.”
And Star Tribune‘s Andrew Krammer opined on the Vikings’ QB room, picking Brosmer to make the 53-man roster over Rypien.
He wrote, “I’m not entirely sure Howell will make the 53-man roster even after he completed 11 of 13 passes for 105 yards against the Texans. He hasn’t been consistent in practices and may need to keep improving in this week’s joint practices with the Patriots to prevent the front office from adding a different QB2 option as other teams trim rosters later this month.”
“It appears to be a coin flip between Brett Rypien and Max Brosmer, the former Gopher who made a pair of impressive throws in the end zone against Houston on Saturday. Rypien, a seventh-year NFL veteran, is the more experienced option should O’Connell prefer to have him with the 22-year-old McCarthy.”
Therefore, fans will have a grand climax on August 26th, the day of roster trimdowns, seeing if Brosmer makes the cut.
You must be logged in to post a comment.