Vikings QB Room Might Be Obvious
At the top of the offseason, head coach Kevin O’Connell and former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told the world that their top priority was to bring the deepest possible quarterback to life. Fast forward two months, and O’Connell — Adofo-Mensah was fired on January 30th — might be days away from assigning Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, and Carson Wentz jobs on his depth chart.
Minnesota’s QB picture suddenly feels a lot less messy.
Murray feels destined to sign with the Vikings, while Wentz could be re-signed as the QB3.
Minnesota’s Top 3 Quarterback Paths Are Starting to Surface
It’s the same QB room as 2025, with one huge change to headline the enterprise.
QB1: Kyler Murray?
The Arizona Cardinals dropped Murray on Wednesday after seven seasons, and on the same night, the 28-year-old was en route to the Twin Cities, scheduled to meet with the Vikings on Thursday, the team he grew up cheering for.
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero tweeted (and later deleted) Wednesday night, “Just spoke to Kyler Murray’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, who tells me Murray plans to Zoom tonight and tomorrow with executives from 3-5 teams that potentially have a QB need in 2027 — a chance to reintroduce himself to people he hasn’t seen since the 2019 draft and get a jump start on his free agent process a year from now.”
“In the meantime, Murray and Burkhardt are flying to Minnesota tonight and plan to meet with the Vikings on Thursday. The Cardinals still owe Murray $36.8 million fully guaranteed, which is subject to offsets, so if all goes well, a one-year minimum deal could come together quickly.”
Signing Murray for $1.3 million will instantly become the best-value deal in all of the NFL, perhaps in all of sports. Across a 17-game season, Murray averages nearly 4,000 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and over 600 rushing yards. He also has a better career EPA+CPOE than Trevor Lawrence and Baker Mayfield.
From a March standpoint, Murray feels inevitable for the Vikings, and he could be on deck for a complete career reclamation after the Cardinals kicked him out. His numbers don’t need much rejuvenation, but his reputation is at its lowest point.
QB2: J.J. McCarthy
Murray’s probable relationship with the 2026 Vikings does not bode well for McCarthy. It just doesn’t. There was a world where O’Connell and Co. saw enough from McCarthy in December and January to roll with him once again as the main QB1 solution in 2026, but that didn’t happen. McCarthy’s durability probably played a factor here; since joining the club in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy has sustained a torn meniscus, a high ankle sprain, a concussion, and a broken hand.
The guy has missed 70% of games in the NFL due to injury.
Minnesota’s brass seems like it’s on the verge of telling the world a quarterback competition is on the way between Murray, if signed, and McCarthy this summer. That’s fine. Everyone knows how it will end. Murray will seize the job on the first day of training camp, while fans wonder if McCarthy will sniff any playing time whatsoever in 2026.
The Vikings don’t seem inclined to give up on McCarthy, but adding Murray would severely damage his long-term trajectory as the franchise quarterback. There’s very little precedent for veering away from a 1st-Rounder in favor of somebody else, only to return to the original guy months or years later.
QB3. Carson Wentz?
Wentz met with the New York Jets this week, and some Jets-themed writers claimed that Wentz as Geno Smith’s backup could come to fruition.
Now, that theory is on life support.
The Athletic‘s Zach Rosenblatt tweeted Wednesday, “On Jets QB2 situation: They’re still exploring their options. They had interest in Carson Wentz but he’s unlikely to be signing with the Jets as of now, according to multiple sources. Things can still change — but that’s where it stands.”
Reporting all offseason has indicated that the Vikings would welcome Wentz back with open arms in 2026. If he doesn’t net a contract from the Jets — Rosenblatt says it’s not happening — he has every reason to re-up with the Vikings and claim the QB3 job.
In two of the last three seasons, Minnesota has needed the QB3 for extended duty.
O’Connell tapped Wentz on the shoulder last year when McCarthy suffered his high ankle sprain, and Wentz responded by guiding the team to a 2-3 record, showing a knack for moving the offense downfield, even if he lacked top-tier quarterback efficiency.
Wentz also did himself a favor by showing his true grit; he played through a torn labrum for a couple of games last October.
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