Vikings QB2 Plan Down to 3 Options
The Minnesota Vikings need a QB2 this offseason if the enterprise doesn’t trust last year’s QB4, Brett Rypien, with the job directly behind J.J. McCarthy.
Vikings QB2 Plan Down to 3 Options
It’s an emergent offseason need, according to some fans, mainly because McCarthy is just 22 years old, has never started a game, and is recovering from a torn meniscus.
And thanks to Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling, the masses might have some clarity on Minnesota’s QB2 aspirations. He tweeted Wednesday, “Said it with KFAN’s Paul Allen yesterday, but here’s where I’d keep my eye for Vikings backup QB options: a veteran with a clear role like Flacco or Tannehill, or a trade. The comp pick formula matters here. They’re also excited about where J.J. McCarthy is at.”
So …. Flacco, Tannehill, or a trade.
Joe Flacco
Flacco is geriatric in NFL-speak. Let’s just get that out of the way. At 40, he won’t threaten McCarthy’s summer climb to QB1 but would provide veteran dependability and mentorship.
The 2012 Super Bowl champ led the Cleveland Browns to the postseason in 2023, totally revitalizing his career, even if the Browns’ defense did most of the hard work.
Per personality and experience, one might argue that Flacco is the best human to hang out with McCarthy in the 2025 Vikings quarterback room.
Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio wrote about Flacco’s free agency this week: “Eventually, he’ll get an offer. Maybe more than one. And if the Steelers are looking to go cheaper than Rodgers at the position, Flacco could be their best move.”
“It also would bring Flacco back to the place where his college career began. Yes, Flacco was at Pitt until Tyler Palko arrived. He then parlayed three years at Delaware into a first-round pedigree and had a very good run with the Ravens.”
Flacco’s new address in 2025 could be down to the Vikings, Giants, or Steelers.
Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill is old, too, by NFL standards. He’ll turn 37 this summer and was actually out of the NFL in 2024. One might claim that absence will make him rusty; optimists will state he had no wear and tear on his body.
The veteran passer was linked to the Vikings last season, as well, when Sam Darnold hit a brief rough patch (before he fully collapsed in Week 18 and the postseason). The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz claimed in November that the purple team should sign Tannehill, a free agent at the time.
“The Vikings have now won two in a row and are just a game back from the Lions in the NFC North, but head coach Kevin O’Connell’s faith in Darnold has to be at an all-time low. That’s certainly true of the Vikings fans, who have begun calling for backup Nick Mullens and wondering whether general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs to give free agent Ryan Tannehill a call,” he wrote.
Tannehill has started 151 games in the league and delivered 243 touchdowns.
“Tannehill, who is currently a free agent, could be a more viable solution and has previously had success in a similar style of offense in Tennessee. He’s comfortable operating from under center in a play-action-heavy attack (which O’Connell would appreciate), and he’s not afraid to give his talented receivers a chance on 50/50 balls down the field (which Justin Jefferson would appreciate),” Ruiz wrote four months ago.
Perhaps the Tannehill rumor mill will come full circle, and he’ll be a Viking after all.
The Trade Options
There aren’t many veteran options available via trade, mainly because several experienced signal-callers just found new homes in free agency. It would be odd for a team to sign a free-agent QB2 and turn around just to trade him a couple of weeks later.
That might leave these options, mostly developmental types, aside from the first guy on the list.
- Kirk Cousins (Falcons)
- Jake Haener (Saints)
- Sam Howell (Seahawks)
- Joe Milton (Patriots)
- Michael Pratt (Buccaneers)
- Anthony Richardson (Colts)
- Aidan O’Connell (Raiders)
- Kyle Trask (Buccaneers)
- Clayton Tune (Cardinals)
Who Else, if Not Flacco, Tannehill, or Trade?
After Flacco, Tannehill, and trade options, the market is teensy. The Vikings might have to buck the compensatory dream in favor of one of these players:
- Trey Lance
- Drew Lock
- Carson Wentz
- Jameis Winston
Lance hasn’t proven much in the NFL, so he might be a long shot. In fact, Lance hasn’t consistently started football games anywhere since 2019 at North Dakota State — six years ago.
Lock is big-armed, lovable, and fun, but the Vikings probably would’ve signed him by now.
Wentz played for the Kansas City Chiefs last year, and if he’s good enough for Andy Reid, he’s good enough for Kevin O’Connell.
Winston is the social media favorite because of his delicious soundbites. He’d throw oodles of interceptions — that’s what he does — but so did Nick Mullens, a former Vikings quarterback who traveled to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency last week.
And all of this goes without mentioning that Aaron Rodgers as a Vikings fell by the wayside on Wednesday, thanks to reporting from NFL’s Network‘s Tom Pelissero.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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