Max Brosmer Has House Money to Burn
Minnesota Vikings fans will get the “Max Brosmer game” on Sunday at Seattle, hoping to see a performance more closely reminiscent of Brock Purdy than Jaren Hall.
Max Brosmer has house money to burn as the Vikings turn to him, giving the rookie a rare no-lose stretch to reshape the team’s outlook.
Brosmer will get the start this weekend because J.J. McCarthy remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol, and along the way, Brosmer is absolutely playing with house money.
It’s House Money for Max Brosmer
The script is tailor-made for a player like Brosmer.
1. Fans Won’t Flip Out if Brosmer Stinks
Brosmer is an undrafted free agent; he isn’t supposed to be starting in 2025 — or ever.
When McCarthy has struggled, the criticism is fair. The Vikings have big plans for him, hence the 1st-Round draft stock. For Brosmer, it’s the other way around. For example, when Jaren Hall took the starting job for a week two seasons ago and stunk against the Green Bay Packers, nobody really cared because he was “just a 5th-Rounder.”
If Brosmer doesn’t have the stuff at Seattle, the takeaway will be, “What did you think was going to happen?” A bad Brosmer game would not be shocking.
This is also known as house money.
2. The Hero of the Sam Darnold “Revenge Game”
The Seahawks will probably beat the Vikings on Sunday. They’re favored to win by about a dozen points.
If they do not, Darnold will lose the game against his former teammates, and Brosmer has a shot at being a hero in a revenge game that has nothing to do with him. He did not play for the Vikings while Darnold held the QB1 job, but he does have a chance to be the headliner in the grudge match.
He’s the antagonist in Darnold’s story who is irrelevant in the prologue.
3. Bar Is Low Because of McCarthy’s Struggles
J.J. McCarthy now sits at 851st out of 852 in EPA per Dropback among qualified passers since 2000, per Tru Media. The only quarterback below him is JaMarcus Russell. Yes, the ride has been that bumpy.
Therefore, all Brosmer must do in Week 13 is not play like the worst quarterback ever. It’s actually comical and wild that the bar is this low to clear if his goal is to leave an impression.
“Hey, pal. Don’t play like JaMarcus Russell.” That’s his mission statement.
4. The Weapons Are There
This applies to McCarthy — or at least it used to.
Brosmer will have these weapons at his disposal:
- Justin Jefferson
- Jordan Addison
- T.J. Hockenson
- Jalen Nailor
- Aaron Jones
- Jalen Nailor
Most first-time starters get a shell of that setup. Brosmer isn’t guaranteed to flourish in his first-ever start, but the weaponry is there if he’s in the mood for it.
5. University of Minnesota Storyline
Brosmer spent a year at the University of Minnesota after transferring from New Hampshire. If one pretends that he’ll play well on Sunday, the Minnesota-happy narrative will be blasted everywhere, not unlike Adam Thielen a decade ago.
The 24-year-old was also born in Iowa, so the Midwest angle is in play as well.
6. An Injection of Excitement
If Minnesota wins its six remaining games, it would have a 75% chance of reaching the postseason. That is unlikely, of course, but a six-game win streak cannot start without a dub at Seattle.
A Vikings win would keep the season afloat — just barely — and keep the season interesting until they’re officially eliminated from postseason contention. In each season since Kevin O’Connell took over, he’s fired up at least one five-game win streak. Brosmer has the opportunity to start one this weekend.
7. Vikings Need a Long-Term QB
McCarthy can still rally and change the narrative surrounding himself, but that feels like a far-off land after his troublesome first six starts. When the offseason arrives, Minnesota will probably hunt for a quarterback to compete with McCarthy for the starting job in 2026. So, why not Brosmer?
Brosmer played wonderfully in the preseason. There’s a chance that he’s just plain good, and Week 13 could be the start of his long-term story as the Vikings’ QB1.
8. The Underdog Angle
Similar to No. 1 on this list, Brosmer isn’t supposed to amount to anything in the NFL. Thirty-two general managers didn’t give a damn about him during the draft. Vikings boss Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took a flyer on the Gopher from undrafted free agency.
All Americans love an underdog story. Brosmer breaking out into startdom would be precisely that.
9. Brock Purdy Theories Pay Up
The moment that Brosmer produced some sweet NFL-worthy throws in the preseason, fans began to whisper, “What if he’s better than McCarthy?” Those undercover takes can come to fruition this weekend, and Brosmer can begin his Brock Purdy arc.
Four years ago, the San Francisco 49ers drafted Trey Lance with the third overall pick. He never panned out. The franchise saved face by unearthing a little-known gem in Purdy. Minnesota can do the same, in theory, with Brosmer, after McCarthy has failed the test in his first two seasons.
10. O’Connell’s Quarterback Whisperer Reputation on the Line
Three months ago, O’Connell was known nationally — with few debates from anyone — as the NFL’s keynote quarterback whisperer. He propelled Kirk Cousins to his finest form, squeezed a couple of good games out of Joshua Dobbs, handed the keys to Nick Mullens for 400+ yard games, and guided Sam Darnold to a career reclamation.
However, with his hand-picked protege, O’Connell stumbled with McCarthy.
It just makes more sense that Brosmer will continue the Cousins-Dobbs-Mullens-Darnold trend than that O’Connell would flop twice in a row with young quarterbacks.
The world will return to its axis for O’Connell’s reputation’s sake if Brosmer plays well.
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