Vikings Predicted to Add Another Former Top 5 Pick at QB
The Minnesota Vikings appear likely to let Sam Darnold test free agency after reportedly deciding against franchise tagging their Pro Bowl QB. Yet, if the Vikings let their starting quarterback leave, they’ll still have J.J. McCarthy as the projected starter for 2025, but what about the backup QB?
Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens are both set to become free agents, which means the Vikings are guaranteed to add a quarterback or two this offseason. The only question is, who will general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell agree on?
ESPN predicts Vikings to sign former Pro Bowl QB Carson Wentz in free agency
The Vikings remain interested in retaining Daniel Jones for 2025, but the former first-round pick is expected to draw interest from other teams that may need a spot starter next season. Yet, the Vikings will still want a highly capable starter just in case McCarthy isn’t 100% ready to go for the start of the season.
So if they can’t retain Jones, could the Vikings take another shot at a former top pick who has the potential to thrive? Recently, The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt made a QB prediction for every team in need of another arm. When it came to the Vikings, Rosenblatt predicted they would sign former Kansas City Chiefs QB Carson Wentz.
“If Jones doesn’t get a starting shot elsewhere I think he’ll return to the Vikings as a potential stopgap until McCarthy is ready. But if not him, I still anticipate the Vikings adding a playable veteran at the position — I considered both Wentz and Jimmy Garoppolo here. I went with Wentz because, to me, he fits the Darnold mold of a former highly drafted quarterback seeking redemption. Wentz was an MVP frontrunner in 2017 before tearing his ACL. He had moments in both Indianapolis and Washington, but stints with both teams ended poorly. He’s been humbled as a backup the past two seasons, learning behind Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes and from both Sean McVay and Andy Reid. If there’s a coach who can get something out of Wentz, it’s Kevin O’Connell.”
The Athletic on Vikings signing Carson Wentz
The idea of signing Wentz may sound like a punch-line, but the former Pro Bowl QB was the Chiefs’ pick to be Patrick Mahomes’ backup last season. If he’s good enough for a Super Bowl contender, he’s good enough for the Vikings.
Carson Wentz hasn’t thrown more than 24 passes in an NFL regular season since 2022, when he spent some time as an emergency starter in Washington. It wasn’t that long ago, however, that Wentz finished as a Pro Bowler and top 3 MVP candidate.
That was back in 2017, when he threw for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions as an NFL sophomore with the Eagles. Looking back at the numbers, the North Dakota State Bison legend had three really good seasons in Philly from 2017-2020. He even had a resurgent season with the Colts back in 2021.
| Season | Age | Team | GS | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 | PHI | 16 | 379 | 607 | 62.4 | 3782 | 16 | 14 | 79.3 | 46.7 |
| 2017 | 25 | PHI | 13 | 265 | 440 | 60.2 | 3296 | 33 | 7 | 101.9 | 78.6 |
| 2018 | 26 | PHI | 11 | 279 | 401 | 69.6 | 3074 | 21 | 7 | 102.2 | 62.0 |
| 2019 | 27 | PHI | 16 | 388 | 607 | 63.9 | 4039 | 27 | 7 | 93.1 | 62.8 |
| 2020 | 28 | PHI | 12 | 251 | 437 | 57.4 | 2620 | 16 | 15 | 72.8 | 41.9 |
| 2021 | 29 | IND | 17 | 322 | 516 | 62.4 | 3563 | 27 | 7 | 94.6 | 60.6 |
| 2022 | 30 | WAS | 7 | 172 | 276 | 62.3 | 1755 | 11 | 9 | 80.2 | 34.4 |
| 2023 | 31 | LAR | 1 | 17 | 24 | 70.8 | 163 | 2 | 1 | 99.8 | 89.9 |
| 2024 | 32 | KAN | 1 | 12 | 19 | 63.2 | 118 | 0 | 0 | 80.6 | 22.9 |
| 9 Yr | 9 Yr | 9 Yr | 94 | 2085 | 3327 | 62.7 | 22410 | 153 | 67 | 89.3 |
Generated 3/4/2025.
Related: Vikings Will be Involved in Bidding War for Top Free Agent Guard
Wentz once finished third in NFL MVP voting. While that came in 2017, it’s also fair to say he’s never had a supporting cast like the one he’d enjoy in Minnesota, throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and having a pair of elite tackles to help in pass protection.
In other words, Wentz could be the perfect solution to backup McCarthy in 2025, yet the Vikings would likely still prefer to re-sign Jones.
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