The Vikings’ QB Blueprint Has Already Been Vetted
The Minnesota Vikings will attempt to “have it both ways” in 2026, remaining faithful to J.J. McCarthy as a QB1 option for the future while adding another high-profile passer to hedge the bet. And if the franchise or its fans need a clear blueprint for how it will work, they need only examine the 2025 Indianapolis Colts.
Minnesota wants a real camp fight, not a ceremonial backup, and this movie was aired last summer in the AFC South.
The Colts employed a wobbly youngster named Anthony Richardson and signed former Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones to ensure the team was set up for success if Richardson didn’t have the juice to win a summer quarterback competition.
A Credible QB2 Changes the Entire McCarthy Equation
The Colts’ way is transforming into the Vikings’ new model.
Jones and Richardson Last Season
In late November 2024, Minnesota signed Jones after the New York Giants cut ties, adding him as insurance for Sam Darnold, who had an unknown ceiling at that point, and hoping to establish a relationship with Jones for the 2025 campaign.
Jones never took a snap for the 2024 Vikings; Darnold flamed out when it mattered most, and then both left for Minneapolis to start for new teams.
While that tale is oft-told and unfortunate, the Vikings can now take a page out of Indianapolis’s playbook: keep McCarthy front and center, as the Colts did with Richardson, and find their new version of Jones in free agency or via trade to promote a training camp battle this summer.
Unless Minnesota lands a sure-fire starter like Kyler Murray or Mac Jones, this movie ends one way — McCarthy duking it out with a veteran in Eagan four months from now.
The Vikings Threading the Needle
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert added context this week on Minnesota’s quarterback strategy, noting, “It’s a needle they proved incapable of threading a year ago, when two quarterbacks left the organization rather than contend with the presence of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.”
“Both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones declined what amounted to one-year offers, knowing that McCarthy would eventually get his opportunity to play. Now, after McCarthy’s 10-start debut raised concerns about his long-term viability, can the Vikings execute any better?”
The Vikings are familiar with threading the needle via team-building; it was the whole premise of former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s competitive rebuild process from 2022 to 2025.
Seifert added, “Will any starting-caliber free agents — a short list that includes Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Malik Willis and possibly Geno Smith if he is released by the Las Vegas Raiders — believe that they could win the job in a competition? Or would they need assurance ahead of time?”
“And if they receive it, or if the Vikings trade for a starter instead, will that in essence mark an unprecedented end of McCarthy’s time as the Vikings’ starter?”
Who’s the Daniel Jones for the Vikings?
Now — the fun part. During last year’s free agency, the Colts scoured the NFL’s lay of the land, deciding Jones had the best shot a) at career reclamation b) to push Richardson to the limit.
Thankfully for the Vikings’ sake, several notable men fit that mold in 2026, balancing untapped upside and youth. A list for the Vikings’ version of 2025 Daniel Jones could arguably look like this:
- Mac Jones
- Will Levis
- Kyler Murray
- Jalen Milroe
- Spencer Rattler
- Anthony Richardson
- Tua Tagovailoa
- Malik Willis
In fact, if Minnesota fulfills this strategy, it’s a great offseason for it. There are plenty of options. The Vikings would have to trade for most of those players — besides Willis — but all should be attainable for the right price. It’s worth noting that Tagovailoa, too, could soon be a free agent if the Miami Dolphins can’t find a trade partner.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski would land on their combatant, trade for or sign him, and that guy would be off to the races, pushing McCarthy to the limit at training camp — just like Jones and Richardson last summer.
A Key Moment for McCarthy
Make no mistake. Whether it’s training camp or the regular season, this is McCarthy’s moment. In theory, he could flame out with the Vikings and resurface down the road to forge his version of a Sam Darnold story. But his best shot at stardom is to maintain the Vikings’ QB1 job in 2026, excel as the starter, and just become “the guy” in Minnesota.
He had that opportunity in 2025, but injuries and suspect performance got in the way. To reiterate: this is the same song and dance that accompanied Richardson last year at this time.
Barring a blockbuster trade, where McCarthy was included in a trade for a big fish like Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson, McCarthy will get a chance to preserve his job title. Or — if the new guy gets injured, McCarthy will be ready as a hungry QB2.
But this is his time. Minnesota drafted him in Round 1 two years ago with high hopes. McCarthy must stay healthy, win the impending camp battle, and transfer both traits into the regular season.
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