Former Vikings QB Is Back
The Minnesota Vikings have been beset by quarterback turmoil this season — frequent injuies and poor performance, at times. The injuries reared their ugly head again last weekend, so the franchise turned to a familiar name: Brett Rypien.
Minnesota is reshuffling the quarterback room on the fly, and Rypien’s return adds a familiar emergency option as the Vikings try to survive the final stretch.
Rypien has bounced around the NFL this year, but the man is back in the Twin Cities for Week 17 and maybe even the final game of the season.
The Vikings Turn Back to Brett Rypien as Insurance
The Rypien era resumes in Minnesota, if only for two weeks.
Vikings Re-Sign Rypien
It’s not Desmond Ridder this time, believe it not. Minnesota claimed Rypien off waivers after the veteran passer was released by the Indianapolis Colts this week.
Vikings.com‘s Craig Peters wrote, “Brett Rypien is returning to the Vikings. Minnesota was awarded the veteran QB via a waiver claim on Tuesday. Rypien first joined the Vikings before the 2024 season and was credited with leading Minnesota’s scout team to prep the starting defense.”
“He remained with the Vikings during training camp but was released in late August. Rypien then spent time with the Bengals and Colts, who placed him on waivers Monday. He joins a Vikings QBs room with J.J. McCarthy, who has been ruled out for Week 17 with a hand injury, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer and veteran John Wolford. Brosmer is preparing to start Thursday when Minnesota (7-8) hosts Detroit (8-7) on Christmas.”
Rypien rides again in purple.
The Emergency QB Role
So, why is Rypien back? Simple — it’s a familiar situation for the Vikings, as injuries have rattled McCarthy and Carson Wentz in 2025. To get them over the hump of a quarterback injury, Minnesota needs an emergency quarterback for game day — just in case.
The aforementioned Ridder filled the role a couple of times, and now it’s Rypien’s turn. If Max Brosmer goes down on Christmas Day, followed by a John Wolford injury, the Vikings would have no choice but to toss Rypien onto the field and let her rip.
In all likelihood, Rypien won’t take a snap this time in Minnesota, and McCarthy might even be back in Week 18, which would lead to Rypien’s release.
Rypien’s Career
Minnesota scooped up Rypien last year after the Chicago Bears cut him, even bringing him back during the 2025 offseason to compete for a QB2 or QB3 role. That experiment didn’t last long. Kevin O’Connell ultimately settled on Wentz and Brosmer behind McCarthy, making Rypien expendable once again.
Rypien’s NFL résumé now reads like a league-wide tour:
- Denver Broncos (2019–2022)
- Los Angeles Rams (2023)
- Seattle Seahawks (2023)
- New York Jets (2023)
- Chicago Bears (2024)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024–2025)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2025)
- Indianapolis Colts (2025)
Across four career starts, Rypien’s teams went 2–2, but the production never followed — a 4-touchdown, 9-interception split that explains the constant churn.
Comically, Rypien was the odd man out in Indianapolis this week when the Colts were evidently satisfied with Philip Rivers as the QB1 solution.
Stampede Blue‘s Luke Schultheis wrote about Rypien’s exit, “It was a little bit surprising that the Colts didn’t elect to carry Rypien and declare him inactive — as a possibility as the emergency QB3 during Monday night’s loss. It’s not that there was a strong chance he would need to be called upon by any means, but a 44-year-old Philip Rivers is presumably at least a little less durable than the average NFL starter, and especially fresh off his couch and with five years of retirement.”
“Not to mention, rookie Riley Leonard is just a few weeks removed from a knee injury, who has been serving as the Colts’ QB2 since Rivers’ surprising arrival. At any rate, Rypien’s stint with the Colts ends without him appearing in an NFL game. The 29-year-old veteran quarterback was signed to the Indianapolis practice squad in mid-October before his signing and release.”
Previously the QB2 Insurance Plan
Recently — back in April — the Vikings were carrying just two quarterbacks: McCarthy and Rypien.
Because Minnesota dragged its feet securing a veteran backup, some fans talked themselves into Rypien as a plausible QB2. O’Connell cycled through that idea, along with Sam Howell, before ultimately landing on Wentz and rookie Brosmer to round out the depth chart.
The optimism wasn’t invented out of thin air. Vikings decision-makers spoke positively about Rypien throughout the offseason, and he had legitimately impressed the previous summer during the Bears’ 2024 preseason. None of it translated once Minnesota had better options in the building.
The Vikings are 7.5-point underdogs against the Lions in Week 17, as sportsbooks don’t trust Brosmer to secure a dub.
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