NFL analyst believes the Vikings could look at a high-upside to fix quarterback, while stating the obvious about Kevin O’Connell’s plan

Nobody knows what the Minnesota Vikings will do, except that they will do something.

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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After a disastrous 9-8 season as you can possibly have, the Minnesota Vikings know they can’t keep the status quo at quarterback going into the 2026 season.

J.J. McCarthy was the unquestioned starting quarterback going into last season, and it wasn’t exactly the smartest decision in hindsight. He struggled massively during the season, which, along with injuries costing him seven games, proved to be catastrophic for the Vikings.

Going into next season, they will be adding some form of competition to the quarterback room, but how serious will they get with their addition?

ESPN’s Benjamin Solak believes they could chase upside at quarterback

The key is going to be what head coach Kevin O’Connell wants to do at the position. With the firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, it’s clear that O’Connell has a lot of control in the building. How will that control manifest? ESPN’s Benjamin Solak believes it could come in the form of a high-upside swing.

“Minnesota will absolutely bring in competition for J.J. McCarthy, as it reportedly tried to do last season with Rodgers,” wrote Solak. “Cousins is the obvious choice because he has scheme familiarity from his time in Minnesota as coach Kevin O’Connell’s starter. But O’Connell is a big believer in quarterback development, and I would not be surprised if he wants to go for a younger player to challenge McCarthy’s seat not just in 2026 but also beyond. Every toolsy young passer who can operate from the pocket (Tanner McKee, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, etc.) is on my radar for a surprise Vikings trade.”

The idea of adding a high-upside quarterback fits with what O’Connell is trying to do. The Vikings were linked to Richardson during the 2023 NFL Draft, with reports surfacing that they offered the Arizona Cardinals three first-round and two second-round picks to move up from 23rd to 2nd in order to take him. It didn’t happen at the time, but it could happen this time around.

McKee is interesting, but it’s much less likely without any starting experience, and Levis is a mortal lock to not happen after the “quarterback killer” reports inferred that O’Connell said no to drafting Levis. There is some merit to taking a high-upside option and seeing if either they or McCarthy can do enough to win the starting job.

At the end of his blurb about the Vikings, he was honest about what he actually thinks they are going to do.

“(It will probably just be Cousins, though, let’s be honest.)”

Cousins makes sense for a lot of reasons. He already knows the offense in-depth from both a playbook and a personnel perspective. Plus, he can be a mentor to McCarthy in the room, which would be great long-term.

The next few weeks are going to be fascinating to watch play out for the Vikings.

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