Vikings Minicamp Features an Unexpected QB Twist

Minnesota Vikings rookie minicamp got underway last week, and out of the blue, veteran quarterback Cooper Rush showed up in Eagan.

The Vikings’ latest minicamp name came with real NFL starting experience.

It is unclear where Rush might fit on the current roster if he parleyed the visit into a contract, but Minnesota may keep him on speed dial in 2026 if injuries rear their ugly head once again.

Rush Adds a Veteran Twist to Minnesota’s QB Possibilities

It’s the Cooper Rush segment of the Vikings offseason.

Rush in Eagan

There’s no contract yet, but Rush is in the Vikings’ orbit. NBC Sports‘ Mike Florio wrote, “Rookie minicamps routinely include more than rookies. In Minnesota, veteran quarterback Cooper Rush will participate on a tryout basis. The team has announced 57 attendees for the weekend session. Of that number, 23 have been invited to the weekend practices on a tryout basis.”

“Rush, 32, has played in 42 regular-season games with 16 starts. He has a 9-7 record. The Ravens cut him earlier this year, after making Tyler Huntley the primary backup to Lamar Jackson. Before that, Rush spent seven seasons with the Cowboys, starting eight games in 2024 and five in 2022.”

Rush infamously helped the Dallas Cowboys beat the Vikings in a 2021 game, so purple fans remembered the name on the spot.

The Career Biography

Rush has appeared in 42 games since 2017, starting 16. His teams have a 9-7 record on his watch, and he’s totaled 3,766 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in his career.

Scaled exactly to a 17-game starter’s sample, Rush would produce this stat line, on average:

• 3,409 Passing Yards
• 19 Passing TDs
• 13 Interceptions
• 60.5% Completion Rate

His career-long EPA+CPOE suggests efficiency between Desmond Ridder and Joshua Dobbs. Here’s Rush’s NFL resume to date:

• Dallas Cowboys (2017–2019)
• New York Giants (2020)
• Dallas Cowboys (2020–2024)
• Baltimore Ravens (2025)

Possible Role?

The Vikings already have this full house at quarterback:

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

But last year, for example, Minnesota was forced to explore multiple veteran quarterbacks because of injuries to McCarthy and Wentz, including stints with the aforementioned Ridder and John Wolford. Inviting Rush to minicamp is likely a method to forge a relationship just in case injuries arise again.

For example, if the injury bug infects the club three or four passers deep, Rush can be the first guy the Vikings call on the free-agent wire or steal off another team’s practice squad.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said about Rush’s unexpected presence, “As I told Cooper, it’s almost like a free agent visit. He gets to know us, we get to know him. He’s played a lot of football over the years in the National Football League.”

“I think it can open up that world to him, or if there’s an opportunity in the future, he can make that a really positive situation for himself and become our first phone call.”

Our Kyle Joudry also noted over the weekend, “O’Connell has already seen quite a lot via quarterback injury (especially if we remember Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall all getting hurt in 2023). Not only has the response been to beef up the in-house quarterback options, but to establish a good line of communication with an external depth option should a need arise.”

Full List of Attendees

Here’s the full list of every rookie and veteran who attended Vikings’ rookie minicamp:

• Marcus Allen (CB)
• Derek Anderson (TE)
• Tony Anyanwu (OLB)
• Da’Veawn Armstead (CB)
• Caleb Banks (DL)
• Dillon Bell (WR)
• Drew Biber (TE)
• Jordan Botelho (OLB)
• Aidan Bouman (QB)
• Max Bredeson (FB)
• Tyreek Chappell (CB)
• Anthony Chideme-Alfaro (CB)
• Demond Claiborne (RB)
• Joaquin Davis (WR)
• Charles Demmings (CB)
• Jalil Farooq (WR)
• Bryan Felter (OL)
• Dontae Fleming (WR)
• Gavin Gerhardt (C)
• Jake Golday (LB)
• Monkell Goodwine (DL)
• Brylan Green (S)
• Trenton Irwin (WR)
• Bangally Kamara (LB)
• Shaleak Knotts (WR)
• Matt Lauter (TE)
• Keli Lawson (LB)
• Shomari Lawrence (RB)
• Vershon Lee (G)
• Tristan Leigh (OL)
• Delby Lemieux (OL)
• Zach Lewis (S)
• Gavin Lipkin (LS)
• Bryson Nesbit (TE)
• Domonique Orange (DL)
• Kejon Owens (RB)
• Zaire Patterson (DL)
• Tomas Rimac (OL)
• Jacob Roberts (LB)
• Cooper Rush (QB)
• Marcus Sanders Jr. (WR)
• Atticus Sappington (K)
• Cam’Ron Stewart (OLB)
• Jake Tafelski (RB)
• Jacob Thomas (S)
• Jakobe Thomas (S)
• Tra Thomas (OLB)
• Brett Thorson (P)
• Caleb Tiernan (OL)
• Zemaiah Vaughn (CB)
• Edward Vesterinen (DL)
• Smith Vilbert (DL)
• Brandon Walton (OL)
• Arden Walker (OLB)
• Jeremiah Williams (DL)
• Luke Wysong (WR)

Offseason organized team activities (OTAs) and workouts are next for the Vikings, beginning on May 26th.

Rush will turn 33 in November.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker