Yet Again, A Former Vikings Passer Has Been Fired
In the NFL, players are hired to be fired. Still, the Desmond Ridder saga is pretty wild.
The former Vikings passer was brought over to Wisconsin to function as young, cheap depth for Jordan Love. No longer. Matt LaFleur has opted to bring his team in a different direction, uplifting Tyrod Taylor — in fairness, a strong veteran — as the preferred backup option.
Former Vikings Passer Desmond Ridder Shown the Door
Tom Pelissero offers the news, as is his wont.
A simple update from the league insider: “Veteran QB Tyrod Taylor is signing with the Packers, per source. A new No. 2 in Green Bay.” Shortly thereafter, Pelissero reveals the immediate side effect of adding Taylor: “Corresponding move: The Packers are releasing QB Desmond Ridder, per source.”
Oftentimes, the NFL conducts pretty simple math. Going +1 with Tyrod Taylor means going -1 on Desmond Ridder. Rosters have limited openings, a truth that still applies in the offseason.
Sitting atop the depth chart in Green Bay is Mr. Love, the 27-year-old quarterback who flirts with being a top-ten NFL passer. He has been the starter for three years but has missed time in consecutive seasons, elevating the need for a competent backup. Signing Taylor makes sense.
When Love is healthy, Taylor can be a coach in shoulder pads. After all, Taylor has been in the NFL since 2011, playing in 100 games along the way (while serving as sideline depth in many more). He’ll prove very helpful when working the tablet on the bench.
Seeing Love succumb to injury, were that to occur, involves Green Bay being able to elevate Taylor at a moment’s notice. He is, in essence, the Green Bay version of Carson Wentz. Both are passers who have seen it all, offering value as low-maintenance options who won’t need a ton of time and prep in practice to play competent ball. Something to be said for that, folks.
Meanwhile, Desmond Ridder is looking for work, which is familiar territory for him. Pulling up his NFL history means seeing stops with the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers. Soon enough, another NFL team is going to come calling.
The good news for Ridder is that he’s a 6’4″ quarterback who got chosen in the 3rd back in the 2022 NFL Draft. He is good enough to get chances with NFL teams even if his upside now appears to hit a ceiling as being a practice squad player or (at best) a QB3.
In all likelihood, the absolute best thing he could do is prove to be a monster at digesting the playbook, breaking down film, encouraging the starter, developing young fellas (if applicable), keeping the locker room upbeat, repackaging + regurgitating the coaching staff’s central messages, and so on. Offering limited on-field value means needing to find a different way to add value. Being the QB3/4 means needing to be elite from an intangibles perspective.
In theory, the Vikings could make a move for Ridder, but that appears unlikely without there being some sort of injury turmoil. The 2025 season involved Wentz getting hurt while J.J. McCarthy struggled to stay out of the infirmary. Those less-than-ideal circumstances led to Ridder getting signed, but Minnesota did eventually move on in favor of John Wolford.
The QB battle now comes down to McCarthy going toe-to-toe (arm-to-arm?) with Kyler Murray. Most foresee a future where Murray wins the competition, but we’ll see how things go. Minnesota’s ongoing desire is to see the No. 10 selection become the franchise passer. What’s changed within the internal calculus is the assumption that he can become that player.
Solidifying the depth is Mr. Wentz alongside Max Brosmer, who looks like a candidate to be a future depth passer but likely not too much else.
Desmond Ridder, 26, will be looking to jump into his next opportunity within his ongoing game of NFL hopscotch.
You must be logged in to post a comment.