Unpacking Vikings QB Rumors Out of NFL Combine

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Kevin O'Connell - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback picture should start to really come into focus over the next week or two.

That’s when when all of the reporters and NFL executives return from the 2026 scouting combine to organize their notes, compare with one another and really begin to dig in on what each team has planned between now, free agency next month and the NFL Draft in April.

Unpacking Minnesota Vikings steam from NFL combine

Until then, we are left to parse through the dozens of reports and interviews from the last couple days down in Indianapolis, in order to see if we can find any trends ourselves. And sure enough, there is a common Vikings theme this year at the combine.

From what league insiders have figured out so far, it’s pretty clear the Vikings plan on shopping in the second tier of veteran QBs who will become available this offseason. They want someone who can push JJ McCarthy, not a quarterback who’d arrive and immediately be crowned starter.

JJ McCarthy - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

ESPN NFL insider Peter Schrager confirmed as much this morning on Get Up, completely passing on Dan Orlovsky’s recommendation, that the MN Vikings pursue Aaron Rodgers as a bridge quarterback for JJ McCarthy, and shifting gears to the second tier of available QBs this offseason.

It appears the breaking point on Schrager’s list is Kirk Cousins. How much would the former Vikings starter be open to returning to Minnesota, if he is not guaranteed the starting job, immediately upon his signing?

Vikings out on Rodgers, could convince Kirk Cousins…?

Schrager doesn’t rule Cousins out of the equation like he seemingly does Rodgers. In fact, it seems like Kirk might even be open to it at this time, given his relationship with Kevin O’Connell.

However, you’d have to imagine any quarterback who has a starting quarterback offer elsewhere would prefer to take that opportunity over an open competition with McCarthy.

That is, of course, unless Kirk and some of these other QB’s floated by Schrager (Joe Flacco, Geno Smith, etc) feel more confident they’d win a Vikings QB battle vs the third year kid out of Michigan, after watching him struggle through 10 starts last season.

“Is Kirk Cousins considered real competition, or is Kirk Cousins considered someone who is gonna come in there and support JJ McCarthy? Because I think Kirk Cousins and Kevin O’Connell have a really strong relationship… then I look at guys like Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Jimmy Garoppolo or Geno Smith.

There is a large second tier of what might be free agent available quarterbacks that we right now might be thinking, well, those aren’t gonna be real competition for JJ McCarthy, but when you get into training camp, we’ll see how they push JJ…”

Peter Schrager – Get Up (ESPN)

MN Vikings want McCarthy competition… but not too much

What’s interesting about Peter’s hit this morning on Get Up, is it sounds a lot like what we heard from the Minnesota Vikings last season. They don’t want to bring in a quarterback who will automatically be crowned starter. They want someone who can push JJ.

Yet, he starts his answer by noting that refusing to bring in requisite competition for JJ McCarthy last year is exactly what got Kwesi Adofo-Mensah fired from his post as general manager — even stating that the Vikings “will not make that mistake again”.

“This was a 14 [win team] a year ago, and they fired their GM less than 12 months later, and it’s not because the paternity leave or his relationship with Kevin O’Connell. because of paternity leave or his relationship with Kevin O’Connell. They fired the GM because he had Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and an interested Aaron Rodgers in the building, and he said, no, we’re good with JJ and Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz are gonna be his backups.”

Peter Schrager – Get Up (ESPN)

It’s worth mentioning too that other NFL insiders at the scouting combine this week — including both Dianna Russini (The Athletic) and Tom Pelissero (NFL Network) — essentially mimicked the same type of report as Schrager did this morning on ESPN.

Other insiders push same Vikings narrative as Schrager

Pelissero ruled out Aaron Rodgers in an interview he did with team media, then talked (like Schrager) about how the second tier of quarterbacks on the free agency market seem to be the type that KOC & Co are targeting this offseason — not Kyler Murray or Mac Jones, who would probably expect to be starters in acquired.

“Malik Willis, I would guess that’s going to be out of the price range for the Vikings. I don’t foresee Aaron Rodgers ending up in Minnesota, despite all the speculation that existed about that last year. Daniel Jones in all likelihood is going to stay in Indianapolis. Russell Wilson’s out there. Jimmy Garoppolo is out there.

You got trade possibilities as well. You know, guys like Mac Jones. But what the Vikings have to figure out is what is the sensible addition to that room because they are not in anyway giving up on JJ McCarthy. He hasn’t had the time.”

“If you go trade, let’s say hypothetically a second round pick for Mac Jones, it’s pretty clear Mac Jones is your starting quarterback. So, you’ve got to find that balance between getting someone in who’s really going to push him and not expending a ton of resources to do it.

One of those quarterbacks that’s got guaranteed money that the Vikings could pay the minimum if and when he’s released and they would probably have dibs on those guys because everyone wants to play quarterback in Minnesota. That, if I had to guess, would be the direction that I would think it would end up going.”

Tom Pelissero – Vikings Entertainment Network (YouTube)

Minnesota Vikings still believe in JJ McCarthy…

Around the same time Pelissero was giving his Vikings QB scoop, Russini was swearing up and down that she feels the Minnesota Vikings believe in JJ McCarthy long-term, after talking to people in Indy, than she believed before she got there.

Yes, they are bringing someone in… but she can’t see it being a starting caliber quarterback, even of Kirk Cousins’ stature.

“[Kirk Cousins going to] Minnesota to me, it makes sense on paper. But I just don’t see it happening. I don’t. I think they really want to develop JJ. I really think they want to get JJ going. And I learned that actually this week, more than ever.”

Dianna Russini – Scoop City Podcast

Kevin O’Connell and Rob Brzezinski met with local media members on Wednesday at the combine, as well. There, they talked a lot about how timelines may not be aligned right now, but that they still believe in McCarthy long-term.

Honestly, if JJ McCarthy hasn’t taken leaps and bounds in his development this offseason, it might not matter which veteran the Minnesota Vikings land… because any decent QB with a bunch of starting experience — like all of the quarterbacks being mentioned alongside the Vikings right now — would beat out the “Nine” we saw in 2025.

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