Ex-NFL Coach Fuels Wacky Vikings QB Theories
The Minnesota Vikings’ backup quarterback is one of the hottest non-draft topics among fans in April, mainly because the man scheduled to start at QB1, J.J. McCarthy, is inexperienced and recovering from a torn meniscus.
Ex-NFL Coach Fuels Wacky Vikings QB Theories
The purple team has just two quarterbacks on its depth chart: McCarthy and veteran Brett Rypien.
And according to former NFL coach Eric Mangini, that’s not enough, and Minnesota could target Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins yet this offseason — two rather tired theories.
Eric Mangini Says Vikings Could Target Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins
Mangini joined FS1’s First Things First program this week and chatted about the Vikings, Aaron Rodgers, and Kirk Cousins.
“Right now, the only other quarterback is Brett Rypien on the roster right now. I would imagine they’re going to go and get a backup that they feel could win a bunch of games, should something happen to J.J. McCarthy,” Mangini said.
“That backup probably is going to need to have some level of experience. I would imagine that’s either Kirk Cousins or it’s Aaron Rodgers and they’re going to go let it play out through the spring and then they’ll go find a veteran that they can bring in, and if things go really south they’ve got someone that they can plug and play and actually win a bunch of games.”
Rodgers dominated about three weeks’ worth of Vikings rumors this offseason, and Cousins quarterbacked Minnesota for six seasons. Neither Mangini theory is new.
Mangini added, “Cousins might be of the mindset of, ‘This gives me the best chance to be successful.’ And he may come in saying, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to start.’ Internally, he feels like he can beat out J.J. McCarthy if he goes back. And if he doesn’t, he’s in an environment that’s great and his money is guaranteed anyway.”
Rodgers Rumors Already Dead
For nearly the entire month of March, Vikings fans were on standby for Aaron Rodgers watch, waiting to see if the rumors were legitimate.
The team’s leaders, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell, later confirmed they did their homework on Rodgers in Minnesota but decided that McCarthy represented a wiser strategy for the future.
Rodgers will turn 42 later this year, and although he campaigned to join the Vikings — his favorite destination this offseason — Minnesota remained loyal to McCarthy, the 1st-Round plan from one year ago.
Now, Rodgers must decide to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, give the New Orleans Saints a call, hang out indefinitely until a QB1 gets hurt around the league, or retire.
Cousins … to Take a Different QB2 Job?
At the moment, Cousins is on tap to play a backup role in Atlanta behind Michael Penix Jr., the man who stole his job last December. If the Vikings traded for Cousins, he’d fill a reserve role next to McCarthy.
Why on earth would Cousins move laterally between depth charts? Penix Jr. is arguably more injury-prone than McCarthy.
Janik Eckardt of PurplePTSD, a partner site of VikingsTerritory, also mentioned the money angle regarding a Cousins trade this week.
“Something that shouldn’t be controversial at all is the fact that the Falcons regret handing their new quarterback that contract. It was a four-year deal worth $180 million with $100 million in guarantees If the Vikings traded for him, they’d pick up a base salary of $27.5 million in 2025, and unless the Falcons pay, let’s say, $20 million of that, the Vikes would just look elsewhere for a backup passer,” Eckardt explained.
“He also has a $10 million roster bonus in 2026 that was triggered in March of this year. If his new team wanted to keep him throughout 2026, they’d be on the hook for another $35 million in base salary, and a 2027 roster bonus of $10 million would unlock next March. Does any of that sound like a fun deal for the Vikings? It surely doesn’t.”
Cousins back to Minnesota just doesn’t make much sense.
Free Agent QB2 Options
Admittedly, the QB2 options after Rodgers and Cousins are grim to slim.
Most fans expect a quarterback signing after the draft when such a move won’t subtract a 2026 compensatory draft pick from Minnesota’s bucket, and if that idea is true, Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill are the final high-profile options.
Other names like Desmond Ridder or Easton Stick could be on the list, but those men may not be an upgrade over Brett Rypien.
A Non-Cousins Trade Cannot Be Ruled Out
Suppose Minnesota wants to trade for a veteran backup not named Kirk Cousins.
Players to monitor in the coming weeks and months include Sam Howell (Seattle Seahawks), Will Levis (Tennessee Titans), and Aidan O’Connell (Las Vegas Raiders).
Minnesota, too, could just really trust Rypien.
Overall, Rodgers and Cousins, per Mangini’s take, are unlikely.
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