Vikings Fans’ Panic Was All for Nothing
On Day No. 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected three rookies: Tyrion Ingram Dawkins (DL, Georgia), Kobe King (LB, Penn State), and Gavin Bartholomew (TE, Pittsburgh).
Vikings Fans’ Panic Was All for Nothing
And in the middle of that process, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah silenced all fans’ panic about the backup quarterback spot — firing off a cheap trade for Seattle Seahawks passer Sam Howell.
Worrying about the team’s QB2 plan for seven weeks was always futile.
Upset for 7 Weeks about No Backup Quarterback
One by one, purple fans watched as these signal-callers signed elsewhere during free agency:
- Jacoby Brissett
- Joshua Dobbs
- Joe Flacco
- Taylor Heinicke
- Daniel Jones
- Mac Jones
- Case Keenum
- Trey Lance
- Drew Lock
- Marcus Mariota
- Gardner Minshew
- Mason Rudolph
- Cooper Rush
- Mike White
- Russell Wilson
- Zach Wilson
- Jameis Winston
And in every circumstance, folks became anxious that the Vikings had “forgotten” about signing a backup quarterback and sometimes insinuated that they just didn’t care.
The grievances were always a bit odd. Why? Well, Minnesota employs the keynote “quarterback whisperer” as its head coach, so did it really matter that the team maintained patience to find the right guy? Kevin O’Connell can cook with (almost) anyone.
The Team Had a QB2 Plan
As the names from the list above flew off the free-agent board, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell stuck to their plan, evidently confident that a veteran passer would cross their path during the draft.
That turned out to be Sam Howell, who, at the peak of his powers, can be considered one of the NFL’s best backups.
Not only did the Vikings find a QB2, they traded for a player who dimed nearly 4,000 passing yards and accounted for 26 total touchdowns as a starter in 2023, his one shot at full-time QB1 experience.
Sam Howell … Was Cheap
How much did Howell cost? Thirty draft spots.
Minnesota moved down the draftboard less than one round of late-round capital to get its man behind J.J. McCarthy in 2025. In 2022, Adofo-Mensah used a similar strategy to obtain Nick Mullens, and that worked.
It’s worth noting that during the process, Adofo-Mensah still obtained his late-rookies, King and Bartholomew.
Carson Wentz Was Always the Fail Safe
Pretend, for a moment, that the Vikings did not trade for Howell. Carson Wentz lingered on the free-agent wire the entire time. Heading into the draft, virtually every team — except Minnesota — had locked down its QB2 operations, so much so that Wentz really had nowhere to go.
Had Howell to Minnesota not materialized, Adofo-Mensah could’ve signed Wentz on Monday afternoon, and life would’ve been fine.
If the Chiefs trusted Wentz with their dynasty after a theoretical Patrick Mahomes injury, he would have done the trick for Minnesota.
There was no reason to panic with Wentz or Tyler Huntley in the chamber.
J.J. McCarthy as QB1 All that Matters
It goes without saying that QB2 is largely unimportant if the goal is for Minnesota to finally win a Super Bowl. It’s just that fans are so accustomed to the Vikings’ backup quarterback earning playing time — and usually excelling in the role. More than most franchises, purple enthusiasts hyperfocus on backup quarterbacks when the QB1 is all that matters.
A season is generally sunk when the QB1 goes down, with an exception or two made for Nick Foles and the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles.
Thankfully No Aaron Rodgers
Most of the “other” quarterback attention among Vikings fans spilled into Aaron Rodgers‘ lap. That egoist apparently wanted to sign with O’Connell’s team, reportedly proposing a one-year arrangement where he and the Vikings’ roster made a one-year sprint toward a Super Bowl.
Rodgers hasn’t won a chip since 2010, and in New York last year, his team finished 5-12 despite a quite impressive roster — with several players he hand-picked.
With McCarthy itching to take over, Rodgers making a run with the Vikings never made much sense — much like QB2 panic seemed silly.
Speaking of Aaron Rodgers …
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor wrote about Rodgers this week: “The most influential person of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 NFL draft wasn’t sitting in the team war room. He wasn’t even on the other end of any of the seven phone calls made by Mike Tomlin to his draftees over the three-day event. Instead, he was elsewhere, perhaps at his Malibu home, sitting on his deck watching dolphins frolic in the Pacific.”
“Or maybe in a dark cave pondering his future, or even at a Costa Rican retreat searching for clarity in holistic healing rituals. Aaron Rodgers isn’t a member of the Steelers, but the team assembled its 2025 draft class as if he soon would be.”
That sounds about right.
“The Mangler” Says No Thanks to Vikings
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