NFL insiders link Minnesota Vikings to multiple veteran quarterbacks, with a new one entering the fold

The Vikings clearly aren’t sold on J.J. McCarthy for the 2026 season.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Nov 2, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell speaks with Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
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The Minnesota Vikings will almost certainly have quarterback J.J. McCarthy on the roster for the 2026 season. However, being the starter isn’t.

Over the past few weeks, there have been a lot of discussions and rumors about the Vikings and their quarterback situation. We’ve seen names like Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson discussed, but those are pipe dreams that are almost certain to not happen.

Without any elite players available on the market, the Vikings will be in a position where they have to take a risk with who they choose to add.

Minnesota Vikings linked to Geno Smith among other quarterbacks

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano released a large piece with buzz from the NFL Scouting Combine, and had a lot of interesting things to say about the Vikings. First off, Graziano talked about bringing in a veteran to pair with McCarthy.

“Bringing in a veteran quarterback who has had some success in the league could be what the Vikings need to get McCarthy’s attention. It would remind him about the parts of his game he still needs to work on and get him back on track to where Minnesota can hopefully harness his talent and build him into the franchise QB it thought he was when it drafted him. If the Vikings don’t land that type of QB, they’d probably pivot to the older free agents in that group,” wrote Graziano.

The “need to get McCarthy’s attention” is a concerning line. Having to do that with a player who is going into his third season at the most important position in the sport is not where you want to be.

Over the last few weeks, the Vikings have been linked with multiple quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Anthony Richardson, Kyler Murray, and Tua Tagovailoa. Fowler linked the Vikings to another quarterback who hasn’t gotten a lot of discussion: Geno Smith of the Las Vegas Raiders.

“Geno Smith possibly joining the Vikings has been underplayed as a pairing in league circles, but it makes a lot of sense. He’s due $18.5 million in 2026 guarantees but has another $8 million that guarantees on the third day of the new league year. He also offers “bridge QB” cover if the team doesn’t want to bail on McCarthy and show a true QB competition, even if veiled,” wrote Fowler.

Smith makes a ton of sense for the Vikings. He is coming off of a down year with the Raiders, but a lot of the issues they had weren’t the fault of Smith. He’s a good anticipatory thrower over the middle of the field, something that is huge for Kevin O’Connell‘s offense.

Whatever they end up doing, the Vikings quarterback room is set to be much different than last season, and that will end up being the biggest storyline all offseason.

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