If you had big plans for 2025 undrafted free-agent quarterback Max Brosmer, it’s officially time to rethink them. In the last week, the Minnesota Vikings have onboarded Kyler Murray and re-signed last year’s QB2, Carson Wentz, spelling a mini-doomsday scenario for Brosmer.

The young quarterback’s roster standing took a serious hit over the course of a few days.

Brosmer may not have possessed the upside of a QB1 in the pros in the first place, but the Vikings’ decision-making proved recently that he’s closer to a practice-squad commodity than anything else.

Minnesota’s QB Shuffle Leaves Brosmer in a Tough Spot

Back to the drawing board for Brosmer.

Wentz Returns

Wentz has returned to Minnesota after flirting with the New York Jets last week.

NFL.com’s Kevin Patra wrote Thursday, “The Minnesota Vikings have added another veteran to their quarterback room. Carson Wentz is re-signing with the Vikings on a one-year deal, NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Thursday, per sources informed of the move. The team later announced the news.”

“The move comes after the Vikings inked Kyler Murray to a one-year deal last week to battle J.J. McCarthy for the starting gig. Retaining Wentz aims at safeguarding against the quarterback issues that sank their 2025 campaign, in which undrafted free agent Max Brosmer was forced to start two games.”

Wentz’s torn labrum should be in tip-top shape before too long, and he’s officially back in the mix for Minnesota.

Murray Added as Probable QB1

And, of course, Minnesota signed Murray on March 12th, following weeks of speculation that the former Arizona Cardinals starter would join the team he rooted for as a child and teenager. The speculation was correct.

Murray immediately tracks as the QB1 in 2026 — how could a team not start a man who averages about 4,000 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and 600 rushing yards every 17 starts? Mind-bogglingly, because the Cardinals are the hook for Murray’s 2026 salary, the Vikings scored Murray for 1.3 million bucks.

He’d probably have to get hurt this summer to lose the starter’s job.

Zone Coverage‘s Nelson Thielen wrote about Murray last week, “Murray represents Kevin O’Connell’s desperate attempt to maximize his upside and save his job — even if it means completely reorienting his offensive principles. Because what Murray does well is not what this offense ran so successfully in 2024.”

“Murray plays his best ball as a point guard at the line of scrimmage with quick, rhythmic passing. He’s a good distributor close to the line of scrimmage and saves most of his intermediate passing to concepts outside the numbers in the form of deep outs, corner routes, and comebacks. Essentially, the only time you see him throw in structure over the middle of the field is up the seam. Otherwise, it simply isn’t an element of his game.”

O’Connell has five months to figure out his playbook to accommodate Murray. It shouldn’t be difficult.

“There is a world in which Kevin O’Connell rehabilitates Kyler’s career, and the Kyler Murray era in Minnesota extends far beyond 2026. I just hope this coaching staff is willing to go all in on that possibility, because a half measure likely leads to the same type of disjointed mess Murray was hoping to leave behind in Arizona,” Thielen added.

Brosmer Out in the Cold

Therefore, with the quarterback additions and re-signings, the Vikings’ QB depth chart now looks like this:

• Kyler Murray
• J.J. McCarthy
• Carson Wentz
• Max Brosmer

Minnesota never keeps four quarterbacks on a regular season roster — sometimes it’s only two — and Brosmer is either on the practice squad in 2026 or outright released. Until this week, no one was too sure if Wentz would re-up with the Vikings, keeping hope alive for Brosmer’s inside path to the QB3 post.

Brosmer as the QB3 — or on the roster at all when the regular season rolls around — now feels like a long shot. He went from unknown, undrafted free agent to possible Brock Purdy-like breakout to a probable roster cut or practice squad candidate.

It was not a good week for Brosmer.

“Hope” for a McCarthy Trade?

Brosmer would actually benefit from a McCarthy trade, as the rumor mill has subtly suggested since the club re-signed Wentz on Thursday. Sending McCarthy to Arizona or Pittsburgh, for example, would keep Brosmer in the Vikings’ roster orbit as their single young quarterback in the pipeline.

Of course, a McCarthy trade is unlikely, all things considered, and it doesn’t feel like Kevin O’Connell is ready to throw in the towel. During the upcoming buildup to the 2026 season, remember that Murray usually misses about four or five games per season; that would be the perfect opportunity for McCarthy to reclaim his throne — if he’s matured and developed in the background.

Otherwise, if McCarthy is out of the way, Brosmer won’t trend so irreleveantly.

PurplePTSD works in partnership with Vikings Territory, similarly doing their utmost to offer top-notch coverage of the Minnesota Vikings. As a result, we’re promoting five of their top articles of the past month in “The P/PTSD Perspective.” Take a peek at some of their best stuff.

The P/PTSD Perspective: March 21st, 2026

1) Vikings are Bringing a Runner with Elite Speed in for a Visit: Speed kills in the NFL. So, it makes sense for the Vikings to dig into the possibility of adding someone who possesses elite speed. The 2026 NFL Draft looks likely to kick over at least a single runner to beef up the RB depth.

2) Vikings Finally Pause Inactivity and Make a Move: Minnesota has been participating in a modest free agency period. Strangely enough, the pivot off of that inactivity was to go for a restricted free agent. Buffalo’s backup large lad put pen to paper, but the Bills maintained a lot of power.

3) As Trade Rumors Swirl, Jonathan Greenard Earns a Snazzy New Job: Not the news people have been waiting for in recent days and weeks. The promotion from within the NFLPA does demonstrate something important: Greenard’s peers respect him. He has always offered great leadership and energy. The new job is an extension of that reality.

4) The Vikings’ GM Didn’t Budge: Rob Brzezinski has been moving through an ongoing job interview. If he crushes these next couple of months, the Vikings’ new GM — read: fill-in GM — may already be under contract.

5) 5 Defensive Free Agents the Vikings Could Still Sign: The Vikings are sitting on some cap space. Not a ton, but a bit of wiggle room. Making a move for some depth-level players isn’t the worst idea in the world, especially if it helps to avoid reaching in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Enjoy the extra reading, Vikings fans.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

First Published: Mar 21 2026 | 7:27 PM IST

On this Members-only episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Mehedi Hassan and Jeremy Beren discuss:

– What has changed for Atletico from the beginning of their season?
– Atletico’s crazy fixtures in April
– Key matchups in the Derby: Vini vs. Molina on the left wing
– Will Julian Alvarez leave Atletico or remain the face of the project?

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And more.

Thanks for being a Member. We hope you enjoy the show!

The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going.

Hosts this week:

Mehedi Hassan (⁠⁠@MhassanFootball⁠⁠)

Jeremy Beren (@JBBeren)

The 11-seed Texas Longhorns face the 3-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament West Region on Saturday. Texas advanced by upsetting BYU 79-71 in the first round on Thursday, while Gonzaga downed Kennesaw State 73-64. The Longhorns (20-14), who placed 10th in the SEC at 9-9, are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Bulldogs (23-3), who finished first in the WCC standings at 16-2, are 12-1 against non-conference opponents this season. 

Tipoff from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. Gonzaga is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Texas vs. Gonzaga odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 147.5. Before making any Gonzaga vs. Texas picks, check out the Gonzaga vs. Texas predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. 

Now, the model has simulated Texas vs. Gonzaga 10,000 times and just revealed its college basketball picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several college basketball odds and college basketball lines for Texas vs. Gonzaga:

Top Texas vs. Gonzaga predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Texas vs. Gonzaga, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (147.5 points). The total has gone over in four of the Longhorns’ last five games played on a Saturday. The Over has also hit in the last four games played between these two schools. The Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS against the Longhorns in the last five matchups.

The model projects the Longhorns to have four players score 14 or more points, including Dailyn Swain, who is projected to score 17.6 points. The Bulldogs are projected to have two players score 13 or more points, led by Graham Ike, who is projected to score 22.2 points. The model is projecting 156 combined points, as the Over clears 74% of the time. You can get the spread pick at SportsLine.

How to make Texas vs. Gonzaga picks

Now, the model simulated every possession of Texas vs. Gonzaga 10,000 times and says one side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Texas vs. Gonzaga, and which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texas vs. Gonzaga spread to back, all from the advanced model that just simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.

Arne Slot accepted that Liverpool have dropped too many points in the Premier League after playing in the Champions League as they suffered another blow to their hopes of finishing in the top-five with defeat at Brighton.

Danny Welbeck’s double earned Brighton a deserved victory over Slot’s side, who became the first reigning Premier League champions to lose 10 games in a season since Chelsea in 2017-18.

The Reds have lost five games of their 10 games immediately after playing in Europe this season, winning four and drawing one, as they failed to back up Wednesday’s big win over Galatasaray to reach the quarter-finals.

Already without Mohamed Salah and goalkeeper Alisson to injuries, Liverpool lost Hugo Ekitike to a dead leg following a heavy collision with James Milner in the opening five minutes and they were outworked by an energetic Brighton team who were fully deserving of their fourth win in five games.

“It is clear that we have lost a lot of points after playing in Europe,” Slot told TNT Sports. “I have tried to explain a lot of times already why this is but today we also have to give credit to Brighton. In the second half, they were the better team on the pitch.

“What I thought [before the game], is you won’t need 24 points to qualify [from the final eight games of the season] and hopefully I am right because we aren’t able to get 24 points anymore.

“We kept trying. In the second half we were close but they were closer to score the third one than we were the second one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough after a week like this.”

Slot said losing Ekitike so early in the game was a “big blow” and Liverpool will be desperate to get as many players as possible back fit after the international break for the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City, which will be followed by the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

But Liverpool also risk slipping from the Premier League’s top five after a run of three games without a win. While the impressive nature of Liverpool’s win over Galatasaray had lifted the mood following the defeat at bottom club Wolves and 1-1 draw with struggling Tottenham, there is pressure on Slot again ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.

“There is always pressure at Liverpool, on me, on the players,” Slot said. “That is completely normal. We have qualified for the quarter finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, but in the league we need to make sure that in the end we qualify for the Champions League.

“As much as I dislike us losing here today, Brighton away has always been a difficult one and will always be a difficult one as long as they keep bringing in so many good players.

“But there are other games where we should have picked up more points, like last week against Tottenham. That is far more unacceptable than this. But even away at Brighton, a club like Liverpool should be able to get a result.”

The intensity of Brighton’s display stood in contrast to Liverpool’s lethargic showing, with Steven Gerrard questioning why Slot did not make more changes to freshen up his side. The former captain said Liverpool’s performance felt predictable.

“The performance wasn’t good enough, but you can almost feel that this performance and this result was coming,” Gerrard told TNT Sports.

“Liverpool get a couple of injuries to key players like Salah, Allison, on the back of midweek, the manager speaking about maybe the lack of energy they might have, and then you look at Brighton’s plans to come and try and play a game with that intensity and that speed, that energy.

“We’ve seen it quite a few times this season now, where they put in a lot of effort and they perform really well in the Champions League. “There’s all the emotion and all the energy and the intensity they have to put in to win those or get a result.

“It’s having a big effect on them at the weekend. They haven’t got the options in the squad or on the bench to make numerous changes, to bring that energy and that quality into the team to perform at the same level they do in midweek.

“Liverpool made a couple of changes that were forced on them, but the manager wanted to keep the team rather than make changes for energy, and it backfired today. Brighton deserved the win overall, and a big opportunity missed for Liverpool.”

The Carabao Cup final has never had so much on the line, a weight that can be sensed in the very shifts in moods. Over the build-up, Pep Guardiola has been trying to figure out a few things. Does he go more attacking, as Manchester City have been doing recently, or repeat the constrained approach from drawing 1-1 with Arsenal in September? If the former, is it with this open midfield that he has been trying, or was Real Madrid too much of a lesson? What would such an approach in a marquee game even say?

Such variables give a tactical obsessive like Mikel Arteta a lot to think about, but he is at least sure of his own structure. That won’t shift. The main question will be over personnel, and how much that changes the emphasis of the team; whether it’s Riccardo Calafiori or Piero Hincapie at left-back, for example. Martin Odegaard is expected to return to the bench, and Jurrien Timber may start.

Arsenal, in short, have a lot less to think about. That is very different to when the two sides qualified for this final, way back at the start of February. At that point, the trophy was seen as psychologically crucial to Arsenal sustaining both momentum and the idea of superiority over City, a key part of the wider pursuit for the first Premier League title in 22 years. The weight was all the greater since it had looked like this final could be the first in a grand and unprecedented English series, maybe four or five matches to decide everything.

The very week before the final has put paid to that. City have already been eliminated from the Champions League in that match against Madrid, which followed a frustrated 1-1 draw at West Ham to allow Arsenal an even greater gap in the title race.

Their hopes in the Premier League haven’t gone yet, but their aura has. The old City sense of foreboding isn’t there.

This Arsenal team may badly need to win their first trophy together, but it doesn’t quite feel as essential when this City don’t look like the trophy machine of before.

As such, there’s been a twist before the game starts. It now feels like this Carabao Cup final is bigger for City than it is for Arsenal.

That would have sounded absurd for most of the season – and the past few years – especially with how Guardiola has repeatedly subjected his former assistant to second places, but that’s how this season is going. The fact everyone is talking about this being the City manager’s last season, which the club still describe as “speculation”, only adds to that. Guardiola certainly won’t want to leave on a barren campaign, in any case.

Winning a fourth Carabao Cup for the coach and a historic ninth for City would be valuable in and of itself, but more significant is what it might do for everything else. It would be a reminder to Arsenal of what the order has been. It would put the league leaders back in their box, after a period when City haven’t even beaten Arteta’s side in three years.

Maybe most crucial of all, however, is that it would create new doubt for Arsenal just at the point when confidence is building; when Max Dowman seems to have helped banish all the angst. Talk of the quadruple is tentatively rising. This could swiftly end that, but do more. If the six-year wait for silverware were to go on that bit longer, into at least May, it creates greater space for collapse.

This is nevertheless the prospect facing City, too. To see two trophies disappear in two matches, alongside the increasing distance to top spot, could be debilitating. From that, if City were to lose on Sunday, it isn’t impossible that they could fall apart.

Duly, City have constantly looked a team on a thin line on the actual pitch. It is like almost every game can go either way. There are spells when spectacular attacking is suggested, only for a defensive fallibility to immediately be exposed. City often sublime and ridiculous in the same five minutes of football, as was seen against Madrid.

Much will depend on the mood going into this game, which is said to be one of focus and trying to remind everyone of the force that this team has been. Down at Arsenal’s Colney base, a mere 13 miles from Wembley, a first final since the 2020 FA Cup win is being downplayed. There is a calmness, which many say has been welcome. This season has been characterised by ramping up most of the matches, after all. Perhaps a softening mood is also natural, given this is a break from all the noise around the title.

The greater gap in the league, of course, helps that, especially as Arsenal now know they will be nine points ahead of City until 12 April at the earliest. It was why last weekend was so crucial. Of course, this weekend might end up being seen as even more crucial, depending on how it goes.

Arsenal right now feel good about the title race, but that can dramatically change if their main chasers beat them, to once more shift that momentum. Out of that, this is yet another Carabao Cup final that is cast as being about more than the Carabao Cup, as so many are. It is about what it can mean for the future.

That’s partly why Newcastle United’s win last year was so distinctive, since it was about the trophy alone. You arguably have to go back to Swansea City in 2013 for similar.

Consequently, as regards Arsenal, you don’t really need to read the same old lines about how Chelsea’s 2005 victory invigorated the Jose Mourinho era, or Brian Clough’s quote about how the Anglo-Scottish Cup gave his great Nottingham Forest team “a shot of something positive that only a trophy, whatever it is, can bring”. The times are different. The situation is different.

This is nevertheless the first League Cup final involving both of the top two since 1978, and a meeting between Liverpool and that Forest team. Clough’s side won to eventually complete a League Cup and title double.

That season was the first time the feat was managed, and both City and Arsenal are hoping to make this the 12th. City have already managed it four times, with Guardiola responsible for three of those.

As befits the occasion in the modern era, however, both sides are also going for more. City are aiming for a domestic treble. Arsenal are going for the quadruple. The League Cup has never had so much on the line, which marks quite a shift. The final itself may well mark another.

In 33 days, you will learn the identity of the Minnesota Vikings’ 1st-Round draft pick, assuming interim general manager Rob Brzezinski doesn’t trade out of the pick. And after free agency, in addition to the NFL Combine, the purple team has a few clear draft frontrunners.

Minnesota’s pick at No. 18 still points heavily toward defense in late April.

Minnesota will pick 18th on draft night — April 23rd — and all signs point to a defensive player that evening out of the gate.

Four Names Rising to the Top of Minnesota’s Draft Board

Ranked in ascending order, these men are most likely to end up with the Vikings in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft (No. 1 = current draft frontrunner).

4. Peter Woods (DT) | Clemson

Woods ranks 21st on the current Consensus Big Board. He’s the top defensive tackle, according to the draft community, and within the last two weeks, the Vikings have said sayonara to Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, their two starting DTs from last season.

The clues hint toward an interior defensive lineman somewhat early in the draft. If that assumption is correct, the clearest path to minimize risk — the other highly-touted DT prospect is Florida’s Caleb Banks, who’s injured and carries a “boom or bust” draft reputation — is Woods.

Think of it this way: if the Vikings stick-and-pick at No. 18 and they want a defensive tackle, Woods will probably become a Viking on April 23rd.

3. Emmanuel McNeill-Warren (S) | Toledo

This would likely be the “trade down” method. Some say the 2026 draft’s sweet spot is the 2nd and 3rd Rounds. There’s a world where Minnesota agrees to trade the 18th overall pick to a team like the Kansas City Chiefs or the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a couple of 3rd-Rounders.

Then, Brzezinski could pick McNeill-Warren from Toledo, nominate him as the long-term Harrison Smith replacement plan, and feast on two extra 3rd-Rounders.

It’s worth noting that some fans will wince over a trade-back-then-draft-a-safety arrangement. That plan flopped in 2022 when former boss Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung and missed on Lewis Cine.

2. Avieon Terrell (CB) | Clemson

In the last 10 years, the Vikings have drafted these cornerbacks:

• Mackensie Alexander
• Mekhi Blackmon
• Andrew Booth
• Kris Boyd
• Cameron Dantzler
• Akayleb Evans
• Jeff Gladney
• Harrison Hand
• Mike Hughes
• Khyree Jackson

Two passed away. Others were not cut out for long-term sustainability in the NFL. And none secured a second contract with the Vikings, aside from Alexander, who returned for a one-year stint after venturing elsewhere.

Write this down: Minnesota is unusually overdue to connect on a cornerback draft pick — of any kind.

Terrell ranks 22nd on the Consensus Big Board. LSU’s Mansoor Delane will probably be the first corner drafted, but after him, Terrell to Minnesota checks some boxes if the franchise is ready to dream big at cornerback after all the tragedies and failures.

Pro Football Focus‘s Max Chadwick mocked Terrell to Minnesota earlier this month and noted, “The Vikings have finished outside the top 15 of team PFF coverage grade in each of the past six seasons and need plenty of help in their secondary. Terrell’s 90.6 PFF overall grade over the past two seasons ranked fifth among Power Four cornerbacks.”

1. Dillon Thieneman (S) | Oregon

If you’re a human, and you’re publishing an NFL mock draft right now, a mysterious force overtakes your hand, guiding the mouse to Thieneman’s name at the Vikings’ No. 18 spot. Those are the rules; the galaxy demands it.

That’s how frequent and fervent the Thieneman buzz is for the Vikings right now — every mainstream mock draft connects him to the purple team.

Thieneman fired up an NFL Combine for the ages, and he’s become a rapid riser, once on deck for Round 2 placement but now shoved into Round 1, usually at the Vikings’ spot. He ran a 4.35 forty in Indianapolis and nailed all the drills.

The Draft Network‘s Keith Sanchez on Thieneman to Minnesota: “This pick just seems to align perfectly. The Minnesota Vikings just saw safety Harrison Smith retire from the NFL, and now they have a hole at the position. Dillon Thieneman is coming off of one of the best NFL Combine performances in recent memory, which elevated his draft stock. Thieneman can come right in and fill a need defensively.”

No matter what Harrison Smith decides about retirement or a return, Minnesota could draft Thieneman in Round 1 and call it good.

It would be preposterous as of March 21st to suggest Thieneman is not the Vikings’ mock-draft darling. He’s everywhere.