Minnesota Vikings’ best option at quarterback is one who hasn’t been discussed, and he fits Kevin O’Connell perfectly
Finding an answer at the quarterback position isn’t easy during the season, but there is one option that hasn’t been discussed.
Make no mistake about it, the Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback position needs to be fixed and quickly.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell tried to remedy the failure to keep Sam Darnold and the way J.J. McCarthy didn’t work out by signing Kyler Murray. He came at the least expensive price the Vikings could have asked for at the veteran minimum of $1.3 million. They got that benefit because the Arizona Cardinals are paying over $35 million to Murray this season.
The main idea surrounding the addition of Murray was simple: he could be a potential long-term starter for the Vikings. He’s under the age of 30, and his athleticism is something that O’Connell has never had before. Through seven games and five starts, it’s not working out.
Minnesota Vikings need improvement at quarterback
The difficult part about the Vikings’ quarterback situation is how they haven’t been able to fully unlock Murray. He’s flashed in multiple ways, especially on the ground.
That is what makes this really difficult. There are multiple plays per game where Murray shines and elevates the offense. Unfortunately, it’s not good enough.
As hard as it is to believe, Murray has a positive EPA/play over the last two weeks that ranks average across the league during that span. When you look at the eye test, it’s been pretty rough. Over the course of the season, they rank 30th in EPA/play and 29th in success rate per Fantasy Points Data, and it’s not much better in EPA/dropback at 25th in the NFL.
Those poor numbers are due to plays like this, where O’Connell is getting wide receivers open, but Murray isn’t willing to throw it with any anticipation.
The lack of anticipation throws, you can imagine, is very frustrating for O’Connell. It’s a big reason why Justin Jefferson refused to speak to reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions. This is why many have linked the Vikings to the likes of Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones. The main reason: experience in O’Connell’s offense.
Considering how difficult the offense is to learn, that makes sense. Even so, there is another quarterback who makes a lot of sense, and there is a pathway for it to be successful.
Vikings should trade for Geno Smith
When you look at the quarterback pool during Week 9 of the NFL season, it’s pretty small. Only a few teams don’t have established quarterbacks long-term are in a position to possibly trade their starter at the deadline. The Arizona Cardinals did it this week by sending Jacoby Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens, and the New York Jets may be willing to sell on Geno Smith. The currently sit at 2-6 and aren’t likely to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
The Vikings had some interest in Smith before they brought in Murray, which makes sense.
He’s the exact quarterback I wanted the Vikings to target in the offseason, because stylistically, Smith is perfect for how O’Connell wants to attack down the field.
“Smith is just one year removed from playing very well for the Seattle Seahawks, registering 4,320 yards and 21 touchdowns, along with 28 big-time throws to just 18 turnover-worthy plays. It’s a big deal how bad the Raiders’ situation was last season.
When you watch the film of Smith, he has two things that you love to see when it comes to playing for O’Connell: a willingness to throw it over the middle of the field, and he isn’t afraid to take shots. Between 10 and 20 yards, Smith completed 20/34 passes for 302 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions. He’s not afraid to make the tough throws, but there will be turnovers because he’s trying to find downfield shots.”
Smith has only thrown over the middle of the field five times in the intermediate level (10-20 yards), completing just two of them for 35 yards. However, he’s significantly better at 20+ yards, completing 4-6 for 168 yards and two touchdowns. The 2025 season in Las Vegas was a disaster for everyone, but Smith was excellent over the middle of the field in his final season with the Seattle Seahawks, completing 26-36 for 435 yards and four touchdowns.
He’s far from a perfect player, but he’s shown growth in keeping the ball safe, with a career-best 12:3 TD: INT ratio and a turnover-worthy throw percentage at just 2.1%, also a career best per Fantasy Points Data.
The real question lies in the idea that a quarterback can’t come in and be a quality starter during the season. Conventional wisdom will say that it’s impossible. However, there are two reasons why it could end up working:
- O’Connell’s work getting Josh Dobbs up to speed
- Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017
We know how things worked out with the Passtronaut in 2023, with the two impressive games before the wheels fell off. O’Connell basically coached him through the headset to a win over the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a non-zero possibility that it can work out for Smith as well.
The one example of success in the same season was Geroppolo. The San Francisco 49ers traded a second-round pick in 2017 for him at the trade deadline. He didn’t play in his first two games with the team, and only got in at the end of the third. What was really impressive was that Garoppolo won the final five games and looked great doing it. He earned a five-year, $137.5 million contract because of that stretch.
It isn’t just that Garoppolo had success; he did so in a Kyle Shanahan offense, which is very similar to what O’Connell runs in Minnesota. It’s far from a guarantee that it will work, but it certainly is worth a shot.
Assuming the Jets would be interested in moving him, the highest cost would likely be a third-round pick, and with the Jets rebuilding, that could be a key piece to improving their roster for the next generation. It would be expensive for the Vikings, but they are also a couple of moves away from being real Super Bowl contenders. Plus, Smith would cost less than $2 million for the rest of the season, which is perfect for a team that has less than $6 million in salary cap space.
Here’s where things get complicated. What does general manager Nolan Teasley think about Smith? He was part of the Seattle organization that traded Smith away to the Raiders in favor of Darnold ahead of last season. It won them a Super Bowl. If Teasley likes Smith, it could change the Vikings for the rest of the season.
Heck, it could land them a Super Bowl.
