NFL Insider Drops Boatload of Vikings Intel from Combine
The 2026 NFL Combine is complete, and from a Minnesota Vikings’ standpoint, it was merely a festival of quarterback hints and clues — in every direction. NBC Sports‘ Matthew Berry spilled the beans from The Combine, and the takeaways were not overly advantageous to J.J. McCarthy.
Buzz out of Indy suggests Minnesota’s plan is McCarthy-first, yet veteran contingency chatter is still alive.
The next step? Free agency — in six days.
Combine Notes Paint Minnesota’s Quarterback Blueprint
The quarterback topic has absolutely taken over the Vikings’ offseason discourse.
Berry on McCarthy
Berry unloaded a lot of Vikings-themed intel from his week in Indianapolis.
“Okay, let’s talk about the Minnesota Vikings. So first, this is not breaking news, but they are NOT sold on J.J. McCarthy. They will keep him on the roster and try to coach him up, but they want a veteran that has had success in the NFL that will ‘shock J.J.,’ Berry wrote.
“In other words, someone who will be in camp and let J.J. know that the starting job next year is NOT guaranteed. In fact, if I had to bet today on ‘Starting QB for the Vikings in Week 1 of 2026’ I would take ‘the field’ over McCarthy.”
Berry has a pretty dependable reputation. If he says the Vikings are not wholly sold on McCarthy, he’s not making it up.
The 2025 Season
Berry also revealed details about last season, noting on McCarthy, “Part of the reason for the Vikings wanting to bring in viable competition is that supposedly by mid-season they had to scale back the playbook as McCarthy was struggling to pick up the entirety of the offense.”
“I heard that LAST YEAR coach Kevin O’Connell wanted Aaron Rodgers (and Rodgers was interested in Minnesota) but that the overall Vikings organization was not on board so obviously, Rodgers went to Pittsburgh and the Vikings went with McCarthy. With organizational changes to the Vikings front office, Rodgers is once again on the Vikings radar but again, this will be a full team decision if they decide to pursue him.”
The reporting on scaling back the playbook is not new, nor is the Rodgers-to-Minnesota theory.
In fact, Vikings fans openly called for O’Connell to “dumb down” the offense last year while the quarterback matured, and several months later, strangely poked fun at McCarthy for it.
And the Wide QB Net
Aside from McCarthy, Berry also mentioned the Vikings’ wide net this offseason at quarterback.
“Back to Minnesota. They are casting a wide net looking for a veteran arm that is NOT just depth but rather could potentially start for them and certainly bring real competition to McCarthy,” he scribed.
“They’ll take a look at potentially trying to get Malik Willis, trade for Mac Jones or sign Daniel Jones but the thought is that it’ll cost so much to get one of them that they would HAVE to make them the starter and be done with McCarthy, so they’ll probably go a little cheaper.”
Willis and the Joneses have been mainstays in the Vikings’ rumor mill, though most expect Daniel Jones to re-sign in Indianapolis.
Berry continued, “They would look at Kyler Murray or Geno Smith if he becomes available. They like Geno a lot. If that doesn’t work out, they’ll look to an older veteran. Yes, a reunion with Kirk Cousins makes a lot of sense. I could also see them make a run at Joe Flacco or the aforementioned Rodgers.”
“However I’m told that, despite what some press reports say out there, they do NOT have interest in Tua Tagovailoa.”
Among betting markets’ take on Murray’s next team, the Vikings lead the pack, with the New York Jets a close second.
Derek Carr?
Finally, Berry touched on the Derek Carr situation. In recent weeks, Carr has kicked up dust, saying he would unretire if he believed he could win a Super Bowl — and many have pointed to Minnesota as a landing spot.
But Berry put a dagger in that rumor: “For what it’s worth, Vincent Bonsignore, a beat reporter for the Raiders, says he heard the Vikings for Carr. Now, I did NOT hear that at all. I did hear a BUNCH of names for the Vikings (more on that below), but Derek Carr was not one of them.”
Fixing the QB Room with Youngster in the House, Small Budget, and Must-Win Stakes
The task in front of the Vikings? They claim to be somewhat loyal to McCarthy, who has started just 10 games in his career. At the moment, Minnesota is over the cap by about $45 million. And the franchise employs a head coach who probably has to reach the postseason in 2026 for full job security.
Those factors compile to suggest the Vikings need a top-notch contingency plan that’s affordable. All signs point to Murray if the Cardinals release him.
Minnesota could also sign Kirk Cousins if it prefers an older, more familiar option, which would allow McCarthy and Cousins to duke it out for QB1 at training camp.
It’s also worth noting that interim general manager Rob Brzezinski replaced Kwesi Adofo-Mensah a month ago, and most believe O’Connell is calling the personnel shots. He should be able to get “his guy” at quarterback.
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