Minnesota Vikings hosted QB Carson Wentz on Saturday, and we now know why it happened

There isn’t a single avenue the Vikings won’t be exploring

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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UPDATE, SUNDAY 9:50 A.M. CT: According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Minnesota Vikings have traded quarterback Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. In turn, they signed quarterback Carson Wentz to replace him. The move gave the Vikings significantly more draft capital for Howell than they paid for him, which was dropping 30 selections in the fifth round.

Searching for talent to improve your football team is a task that never ends for Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. That continued on Saturday afternoon when the Vikings hosted quarterback Carson Wentz on a visit.

The timing of Wentz’s visit is a fascinating one for the Vikings. They just got back from playing the Titans, and Wentz was essentially waiting for them to return. There are several interesting elements to his visit, and it raises numerous questions.

Carson Wentz’s Vikings visit means multiple things

When you look at the Vikings’ roster, one of the biggest issues is at the quarterback position. J.J. McCarthy will be the starting quarterback, but who will be backing him up has been a tough one to figure out.

Initially, the Vikings wanted it to be Daniel Jones, but he is the starter for the Indianapolis Colts. They ended up settling on Sam Howell when they acquired him on Day 3 of the NFL Draft by moving down 30 spots. Despite the idea being good, it hasn’t worked out as they would have liked.

During the course of training camp and the preseason, Howell has been inconsistent. Practices have been rough, as was his second preseason game. However, Howell was dominant against the Houston Texans. Is that kind of inconsistency with Howell and Brett Rypien something that the Vikings are comfortable with? Bringing Wentz in is a significant signal that they aren’t.

The best-performing quarterback in the preseason was Max Brosmer, but he was a UDFA in this last NFL Draft. It’s not unprecedented to have a UDFA as the backup quarterback; Tyson Bagent was for the Chicago Bears in 2023.

Wentz’s visit could mean that the Vikings want to bring him in immediately to serve as the backup quarterback, with Brosmer as the third-string quarterback. The likely move is to keep Brosmer as QB2 and try to sneak Howell and Rypien onto the practice squad, while having Wentz in their back pocket in case they can’t make it happen. Having a plan B for their backup quarterback spot is crucial, and they are exploring every available option.

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