We have been hearing for some time that the Vikings plan to add competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy this offseason. During a recent appearance on the Scoop City podcast, Dianna Russini of The Athletic threw cold water on the notion that a Minnesota-Kirk Cousins reunion could be in the cards, though she did acknowledge that the Vikes could look to add to their QB room (video link).
Just as Russini reiterated Minnesota still wants to develop McCarthy in the hopes that he can live up to his first-round draft status, ESPN’s Dan Graziano confirms the Vikings are not ready to give up on the Michigan product. Still, the club seems to want McCarthy to earn the starting job in 2026, and in addition to Cousins, names like Kyler Murray and Anthony Richardson have been floated as possibilities.
There may be mutual interest between the Vikings and Richardson, who would be acquired via trade with the Colts. As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted last month, a trade could be the most likely way for Minnesota to add McCarthy competition, because a free agent with options may not want to sign without assurances that they will be given first crack at the QB1 role. Other trade possibilities, per Graziano, include the Eagles’ Tanner McKee and the Texans’ Davis Mills.
Mills was linked to the Vikings in a November report, just like Murray was. Graziano says signs continue to point to a Murray release, which means he will be a free agent in short order (and therefore may not want to hitch his wagon to a team that still has high hopes for its incumbent starter).
Just as Arizona is likely to cut Murray, the Dolphins are expected to release Tua Tagovailoa in the near future, with Graziano confirming the cut will likely be made with a post-June 1 designation. With respect to their possible free agent targets, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (in the same Graziano piece linked above) reports the Vikings have Murray and the Raiders’ Geno Smith in their first tier of preferred options, with Cousins and Tagovailoa in the second tier.
Smith, though, may not make it to the open market. As our Nikhil Mehta recently suggested, it may behoove the Raiders to retain Smith as a mentor for Fernando Mendoza, whom Las Vegas is all but certain to select with the top pick in this year’s draft. Per Graziano, coaches from multiple QB-needy outfits are anxious to see if the Raiders will release Smith, as they believe the 35-year-old was held back by the Silver-and-Black’s offensive system in 2025. The Raiders may feel the same and could therefore keep Smith in the fold.
If they do choose to part ways, Fowler believes the Vikings make plenty of sense as a landing spot. He adds that many quarterbacks view Minnesota as an attractive destination, likely due to the presence of head coach Kevin O’Connell and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (though again, it is possible that McCarthy and Minnesota’s hopes for him could act as something of a deterrent).
It still seems fair to expect the Vikings to add a QB. Whether they can lure a high-profile player like Murray or Tagovailoa or will need to execute a trade for a passer like Mills or McKee is the question.
Now that’s a strong trio to consider. The 3 worst QBs in football with awful contracts to boot. What are we doing?
All three were at one point Pro Bowlers.
The Vikings are presumably only interested in them as free agents, not as trade candidates. So the contract obligations would be minimal.
If they are released their previous team is on the hook for their contracts.
The Vikes would pay the league minimum.
This team is broke. Bad cap decisions and they don’t even have a QB. They can’t afford anyone besides a vet-minimum guy.
This is a depressing article for Viking fans.
I’d be curious to see Geno in a good team again. The Raiders OL was SO bad. Geno lead the league with 55 sacks. A lot were on him but I think he’s better than what he looked in LV
I’m not holding out hope for Geno to be what he was at his best again, but in a market like this, he deserves to at least be in competition somewhere. The Raiders offense was a disaster last year. The line was lacking talent and poorly coached. Bowers was out a lot. The receiving corps was badly lacking in talent, especially when Meyers was traded and Kelly seemed uninterested in Bech. I think Smith could be the perfect veteran competition in Minnesota.
I also think Murray is over-hated on here. He’s not worth his contract, his health has been a problem, and he’s frustrating. But unless he’s hurt, he’s also still a top 25 quarterback in football, which may sound like damning with faint praise, but some teams are going to settle for lower floors and lower ceilings. And I don’t think he’s ever been in a great situation.
Tua is the biggest no thanks. He had elite weapons and creative scheming tailored exactly to what he could and couldn’t do, and he still fell apart. And his contract is by far the worst.
Kyler can win games. People forget how mediocre cardinals franchise actually is ownership is mid too. Kyler with O’Connell Jefferson and a run game can win games
Except the run game in Minnesota and OL is unlikely to be any better than what he is coming from. Unless Kyler suddenly becomes a new type of athlete mentally, why would he suddenly improve?
Geno sucks. Sure the offense and the O-Line weren’t good but he is accountable for all of those INT’s. Trade him to the Vikings for Aaron Jones.
Jones will be cut.