Vikings QB Room Gets Crowded after Carson Wentz Move

After the Kyler Murray signing, I figured the Vikings were set at quarterback, with Murray and J.J. McCarthy dueling for the starting spot while both tried to stay healthy, and Max Brosmer would continue to develop as a cheap third QB.

Then the news hit that the Vikings re-signed Carson Wentz to a one-year, $3 million contract with a $1.1 million signing bonus and $2.645 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac. My first thought was that this further muddies the waters at the most important position for the Vikings.

My second thought was that they want to make sure they don’t ever go into a game with a rookie QB starting his first NFL game against the eventual Super Bowl champs, which was the case in the 26-0 Week 13 shutout in Seattle, when Brosmer had a dismal performance.

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That won’t happen in 2026 with two QBs in Murray and Wentz, who have 186 regular-season starts (and two playoff starts) between them, plus McCarthy started 10 games last season, and Brosmer had two starts.

This assumes both Murray and Wentz make the team, which is not automatic, since neither player has a big dead-money hit if cut or traded due to poor performance, bad chemistry in the QB room, or a trade offer too good to pass up. The 23-year-old McCarthy is not going anywhere after the team invested the No. 10 overall pick (in 2024) in him as a potential future franchise QB, and despite his early struggles as injuries piled up, he is 6-4 as an NFL starter.

Yet the fact that Murray and Wentz are in the house tells us Kevin O’Connell is not yet convinced that McCarthy can be counted on in 2026 to be consistent and accurate enough to lead an offense with plenty of supporting talent, and adds the caveat that he has not yet had an injury-free season.

Which brings me to my next thought on the Vikings quarterback situation and McCarthy specifically.

What if O’Connell decides to give McCarthy another red-shirt year and goes with Murray as the starter and Wentz as the No. 2 this season? That will mean McCarthy would be through his third NFL accrued season, as he received an accrued season in his rookie year of 2024, since he was on IR for at least six games, and a second accrued season in 2025.

As he then heads into his fourth season in 2027, the Vikings will be faced with a deadline around May 1 next year to exercise the fifth-year option for McCarthy’s rookie contract at a fully guaranteed amount of an estimated $23 million. If McCarthy rides the bench this season, how could the Vikings make that commitment to a still unproven player with an injury history?

The team could then be looking at what the Giants dealt with after they didn’t exercise Daniel Jones’ fifth-year option in 2022 and wound up overpaying him on a $40 million per year deal when he did have a very good season in that final year of his four-year rookie deal (including his playoff win over the Vikings) before injuries and poor play derailed him in New York. Jones wound up in Indianapolis last year, where he played well enough before tearing his Achilles in Week 14 to earn a two-year deal that could reach $100 million with incentives.

And what if Murray plays well, stays healthy, and leads the Vikings on a playoff run this season? Then the Vikings won’t want a repeat of Sam Darnold leaving for Seattle after his 14-win season, so Murray would likely be re-signed to at least a three-year deal in 2027 with no fifth-year option for McCarthy, who would remain in a backup role for his fourth season and almost certainly sign elsewhere in 2028. Thus, another No. 1 pick down the drain for the Vikings, and the fear McCarthy—still only 26 years old—flourishes for another team.

There are so many ways this Vikings QB drama can play out over the next few years, beginning at OTAs in the coming months, through training camp/preseason, and into the upcoming season.

The Vikings certainly wish McCarthy had not hurt his knee and sat on IR for his rookie season and that he would have played better early last season and not sprained his ankle to open the door for Wentz (who as we know played so-so—2-3 record in five starts with six TD passes, five interceptions and a lackluster 85.8 passer rating—but he’ll have a better handle on O’Connell’s offense this year as will McCarthy after his 10 starts with a strong finish but it was not enough to prevent the arrival of Murray and the return of Wentz).

The good news for the team is that the combined 2026 salary cap hit for their four QBs is only $11.3 million. The bad news is the uncertainty at such a critical position.

Yet I understand why O’Connell and Rob Brzezinski decided to load up with Murray and Wentz, despite further muddying the waters for McCarthy and, to some extent, Murray. More options create more competition and protection against a repeat of the injuries that hit the QB room last year.

The best-case scenario for the Vikings is McCarthy taking a major step forward this season by claiming the starting role through improved play if he gets the chance due to Murray faltering in a new system or getting hurt again (he missed 21 games over the last three seasons with knee and foot injuries), and O’Connell going with McCarthy over Wentz.

And McCarthy leading the team back to the playoffs and on a playoff run to cement his position moving forward to the point the Vikings exercise his fifth-year option (while waiting for another quality season from McCarthy before he gets a huge second contract).

One thing is for sure: there will be an abundance of quarterback drama and fan interest in the Vikings QB battle this year.

Around the NFL free agency/trade observations

1. Instead of opening the 2026 NFL season on Thursday in Week 1, which is the usual custom for the defending Super Bowl champs, the Seahawks will host the opener on Wednesday, September 9, to allow for a Thursday night game in Melbourne, Australia between the Rams and 49ers.

That will be the first of a record nine international games this coming season. Other sites are London (three games), Munich, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, and Paris.

Early speculation is that the Seahawks will host either the Patriots (in a Super Bowl rematch), the Chiefs, the Cowboys, or the Bears in the Week 1 opener. Patrick Mahomes posted a video of himself in a throwing session as he continues his rehab following ACL surgery in December.

He is targeting a Week 1 return, and given his competitiveness and dedication, I don’t doubt he’ll play in the opener, which could be in Seattle, to play up the drama of his possible return.

The Vikings have been regulars on the international circuit in recent years but may get the year off after playing back-to-back last season in Dublin and London (with a loss to the Steelers and a win over the Browns).

As a former team travel coordinator for the Vikings early in my career, I was in charge of preseason game trips to London and Sweden, so I understand all too well the logistical challenges of playing overseas.

2. With the news that the negotiations for a new CBA between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association are not going well at this stage, it brings up the possibility of a work stoppage that would force the use of replacement officials early in the upcoming season.

The last time that happened was during the first three weeks of the 2012 season, and it did not go well for the league, with plenty of controversy and unhappy coaches and players due to the relatively poor job the replacement officials did compared to the regular officials. For the sake of the sport, let’s hope this labor issue gets resolved before the season.

Jeff Diamond is a former Vikings GM, former Tennessee Titans President and was selected NFL Executive of the Year … More about Jeff Diamond