MN Vikings Land New QB After Busy Day of Free Agent Workouts
The Minnesota Vikings walked away from Sunday night’s loss against the Atlanta Falcons with half of their roster (mostly starters) out with a wide range of injuries.
If you include Jordan Addison’s suspension and Harrison Smith’s mysterious illness, the ever-growing list of MN Vikings ailments/absences now includes TWO running backs, TWO left tackles, THREE linebackers, TWO defensive backs and the Vikings’ only fullback, among many others.
| Injured Player | Pos |
|---|---|
| C.J. Ham | FB |
| Ryan Kelly* | C |
| Justin Skule | LT |
| Ty Chandler | RB |
| Aaron Jones* | RB |
| Jeff Okudah* | CB |
| Blake Cashman* | ILB |
| J.J. McCarthy* | QB |
| Harrison Smith* | S |
| Rondale Moore | WR |
| Jordan Addison* | WR |
| Andrew Van Ginkel* | OLB |
| Christian Darrisaw* | LT |
| Gabriel Murphy | OLB |
Related: Confusing JJ McCarthy Return Timeline Muddied Even More by Vikings’ Flight Plans
That’s why, on Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings had a very busy day of free agent workouts at TCO Performance Center. Earlier in the day, local insider Darren Wolfson (KSTP) mentioned on his bi-weekly appearance with SKOR North that there was a rather long list of players working out in Eagan, but wouldn’t name names.
There have been a couple of signings already, however. The first came via a VERY familiar face, in running back Cam Akers, who will serve both on special teams and in the backfield, and could factor heavily into the game plan as soon as this weekend.
Minnesota Vikings sign new QB – Desmond Ridder
But amidst all the injury chaos, it was Monday’s surprise announcement that JJ McCarthy suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday Night Football that really got the internet chattering.
Now, newly acquired Carson Wentz will take over under center, while the Vikings await the return of their struggling young franchise QB. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s only backup QB was undrafted free agent out of… Minnesota… Max Brosmer. So on Tuesday, they signed another quarterback, 26-year-old Desmond Ridder.
The #Vikings are signing QB Desmond Ridder to the 53-man roster, with JJ McCarthy suffering an ankle injury, per me and @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/nCsmmbSNg3
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2025
Ridder comes in with 25 NFL games (18 starts) under his belt, but the results on the field reveal why the former Cincinnati Bearcat was still available, into the start of the 2025 season.
Since being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Desmond Ridder has taken stamps for two different teams (Falcons, Raider) over three seasons, accumulating 4,002 passing yards (63.6% CMP), 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Ridder signing about more than additional QB depth?
Interestingly enough, Ridder’s most recent employer was the MN Vikings’ next opponent. The young QB spent all of training camp and the 2025 preseason with the Cincinnati Bengals. But I’m sure that has nothing to do with this… (wink).
Desmond Ridder letting it fly 🎯
— NFL (@NFL) August 8, 2025
Stream CINvsPHI on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/IeybfAF2PF
Related: MN Vikings Schedule Allows for Hope
While Max Brosmer has impressed everyone in the Vikings organization, since his arrival, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell clearly were not comfortable anointing him as their backup, this early in his NFL career.
Whether or not an NFL failure like Ridder can prove himself more worthy of backup reps during practice than the former Gopher has yet to be seen, however.
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