Very Soon, The Vikings Appear Likely to Show a Passer the Door
No shortage of debates swirling about the Vikings’ top pair of passers, J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz (spoiler: McCarthy will be the QB1). But while that’s reasonably taking up a lot of fan attention, there’s another quarterback situation to monitor: the status of Desmond Ridder.
The young passer came to town in the aftermath of Minnesota seeing McCarthy go down to injury. Venturing into several weeks of football with just Wentz and UDFA rookie Max Brosmer healthy would have been too risky. So, the decision was to welcome some passers to town for a workout, leading to a contract offer to pry Ridder away from Cincinnati.
The Vikings & Desmond Ridder
One has to assume that Mr. Ridder went into the opportunity with a clear understanding of how things would unfold.
Sitting on the Bengals’ practice squad, Ridder got the chance to jump onto an active roster. Doing so comes with a bump in pay while opening an (albeit small) chance of getting onto the field. Wouldn’t you seek to further your career if you had the chance? Quarterbacks tend to enjoy working in Minnesota, so Ridder’s hop over to become a Viking makes some sense.
Mr. Ridder got into the NFL courtesy of the 3rd Round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The passer was chosen at No. 74, a reasonably high spot that suggests there was some belief in his ability to develop into at least a respectable option. Ridder could, quite possibly, become a decent starter, someone who could turn talent into a productive career at the NFL’s foremost position.
The rookie season was modest. In four games, Ridder went 2-2 while completing 63.5% of his passes for 708 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
The young passer got a chance to take control of the Falcons’ offense in a full-time capacity in 2023. Going 6-7, Ridder finished off his year having completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Humble numbers, to be sure.
The Falcons moved on, creating a small circus by handing out a huge contract to Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Predictably, the situation led to some issues; predictably, Ridder was sent elsewhere.
Arizona, Las Vegas, and Cincinnati would become places where Ridder found employment. None proved to be lasting spots where he could settle in to provide ongoing quarterback play. How long will the young passer stick around with the Vikings?
Even if a roster cut occurs, the relationship could continue. Good chance, folks, that the Vikings would be open to clearing out some room on the practice squad to keep Ridder within their roster orbit. Doing so would allow the coaching staff to keep investing in a young quarterback who hasn’t always been in ideal situations.
Carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster appears supremely unlikely. Re-inserting J.J. McCarthy back into the mix — even if the unlikely occurred and the No. 10 pick ended up being the QB2 — would mean a passer logjam that needs fixing. Brosmer isn’t going anywhere and Wentz appears very unlikely to get moved.
As a result, Desmond Ridder appears to be skating on thin ice, through no fault of his own. The assignment was to be the emergency QB3 while McCarthy recovered. If the expected occurs and McCarthy gets back to the field, then Ridder’s status on Minnesota’s active roster becomes very shaky.
The next test for the Vikings is a London game versus the Browns. Losing to Cleveland — a poor team — would be a major gut punch. Winning would mean climbing up to 3-2, getting into the bye with some momentum while possessing some hope of getting healthy and hitting a groove as the middle of the season arrives.
The status of Desmond Ridder is something to watch for over the bye week. In a weird way, seeing the young passer cut would qualify as good news for Minnesota insofar as it would firmly signal that McCarthy is healthy.
Standing at 6’4″ and weighing 215 pounds, Ridder is 26 years old.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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