Vikings Bring Back QB Carson Wentz
As expected, a reunion between Carson Wentz and the Vikings will be taking place. Team and player agreed to terms on Thursday, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. The team has since announced the news. 
It was recently reported a mutual interest existed between Minnesota and the veteran quarterback. Wentz saw time in 2025 filling in for J.J. McCarthy before a shoulder injury required season-ending surgery. McCarthy is still in the fold, but so is free agent signing Kyler Murray.
Murray is widely expected to win out a competition for the starting gig this summer as he looks to rebuild his value working with head coach Kevin O’Connell. McCarthy’s rookie contract runs through 2027, but a path to the QB1 spot may not exist with the Vikings if Murray’s debut campaign goes well. In any event, Wentz’s return will give the team another experienced option as it seeks out improved play under center. Wentz, 33, has totaled 99 starts in his career.
The former second overall pick was linked to the Jets earlier this month. Wentz has a history with Frank Reich, who became New York’s offensive coordinator during this year’s hiring cycle. Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic confirms the Jets had interest in Wentz. He adds, however, Wentz’s preference was to return to the Vikings. Today’s news limits the number of veteran passers still on the market for the Jets if they aim to add another one.
Wentz made a strong Vikings debut in Week 3, but the injury suffered two games later proved to be a major impediment. With McCarthy still sidelined at the time, Wentz made another two starts and struggled with accuracy. Surgery ended his campaign, one during which Minnesota was unable to find a sustainable answer under center. After falling short of a playoff spot at 9-8, increased efficiency on offense will be critical in 2026 for the Vikings. Murray will likely be tasked with helping the unit take a step forward, but it is certainly not a good sign for McCarthy’s prospects of playing time next season that another veteran has been acquired early in the new league year.
The Vikings entered Thursday near the bottom of the league in cap space. This Wentz deal will no doubt be a low-cost investment, and it will presumably be similar in terms to the one-year, $1.42MM pact he played on in 2025.
Vikings Sign Bills T Ryan Van Demark To Offer Sheet
MARCH 18: Minnesota’s offer sheet hit the transaction wire today, per ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg. That gives the Bills until Monday to match. The Bills, who did match a 2022 Bears RFA offer sheet for guard Ryan Bates, will not receive any compensation if they fail to match the Vikings’ offer.
MARCH 17: The Vikings have signed Bills restricted free agent offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark to an offer sheet, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Buffalo has five days to match, but the team will not receive compensation if it allows Van Demark to leave.
The Bills gave Van Demark, who went undrafted, an original-round tender worth $3.52MM. The Vikings offered Van Demark a one-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $4.2MM, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports.
After starting 43 games at UConn, Van Demark signed with the Colts in 2022. The 6-foot-6, 307-pounder was part of their final roster cuts that year, but he caught on with the Bills’ practice squad.
Although Van Demark did not appear in any games as a rookie, he played 43 and started six from 2023-25. He combined for 511 offensive snaps over the past two seasons. During his first career 17-game campaign in 2025, Van Demark logged 154 snaps at right tackle and 43 at left tackle.
With Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown entrenched as the Bills’ starting bookends, Van Demark will continue to fill a swing tackle role if they match the Vikings’ offer sheet. In the event the cap-strapped Bills deem it too pricey, Tylan Grable and Chase Lundt are among in-house options who could take over for Van Demark.
Like the Bills, the Vikings have a pair of established and expensive tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. But injuries have been a problem for Darrisaw, who has never played in more than 15 games in any of his five seasons. The 26-year-old tore his ACL and MCL in 2024, limiting him to seven games then, and his recovery dragged into ’25.
Darrisaw played just 10 games last year, and with the Vikings managing his workload, they put him on season-ending IR in late December. O’Neill posted perfect attendance during his second Pro Bowl campaign in 2024, but it was sandwiched between two 14-game seasons. Adding Van Demark would give the Vikings some insurance behind Darrisaw and O’Neill in 2026.
Vikings Blocked Giants From Josh McCown Hire
Josh McCown is heading into his third season as Vikings quarterbacks coach. In addition to continuing the J.J. McCarthy developmental process, McCown will be coaching Kyler Murray in 2026.
Kevin O’Connell has lost Grant Udinski and Brian Angelichio from his offensive staff — to AFC OC gigs — over the past two offseasons, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicated (h/t The Athletic’s Dan Duggan) the Giants interviewed McCown for their OC post. While that could be something to keep in mind in the event Matt Nagy can move up the ladder in 2027, the Giants did not stop there with McCown.
John Harbaugh‘s team attempted to hire McCown as pass-game coordinator, making the former quarterback an offer. The Vikings, per Garafolo, blocked that move. Teams are allowed to block lateral moves involving contracted assistants; McCown also serves as Vikes pass-game coordinator.
No other team met with McCown about an OC position this offseason. Considering McCarthy’s issues last year, it is somewhat understandable teams were not eager to poach his position coach for a potential play-calling role. Then again, McCown was Sam Darnold‘s position coach during his breakthrough 2024 Pro Bowl campaign. McCown has yet to interview for an OC job since taking the Vikings position, but he did meet with the Jets about their HC post last year.
We heard in early January the Giants had McCown on their radar, though they eventually hired Nagy to call plays under Harbaugh. McCown’s career included no Ravens stops, though both he and GM Joe Schoen were with the Dolphins in 2008.
The Giants hired Brian Callahan for their QBs coach/PGC role. This McCown update points to the ex-Titans HC being at least New York’s second choice. Callahan did receive OC consideration this offseason, interviewing for the Buccaneers and Chargers’ play-calling positions. He will instead work as a top Nagy lieutenant. Should Nagy be a one-and-done, however, Callahan could find himself competing with McCown for Big Blue’s play-calling post in 2027.
McCown, 46, has been on NFL staffs since 2023. The Texans, however, interviewed him for their HC job in 2021 and ’22. The Panthers fired McCown after one season on Frank Reich‘s staff, but he found a quick landing spot under O’Connell. The former 19-year NFL vet will work as a key staffer under O’Connell and OC Wes Phillips once again.
Vikings To Sign P Johnny Hekker
The Vikings boasted one of the league’s best punting units in 2025, but they were set to take a hit with the departure of punter Ryan Wright, who signed a four-year, $14MM deal with the Saints last week.
Minnesota has now found a replacement, and a good one at that. Four-time Pro Bowler Johnny Hekker is set to join the Vikings on a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Hekker, 36, is the most decorated punter in the league. He originally signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and broke out in 2013 with Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. That kicked off one of the more impressive specialist stretches in recent memory. Hekker added three more Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections (three first-team, two second-team) in the next five years and was rightfully named to the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team at the end of the decade.
The Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, Hekker’s last year in Los Angeles. He signed a three-year deal with the Panthers and set a new career-high in his debut season in Carolina with 48.5 yards per punt. The 14-year veteran saw some regression in the next two years and spent the 2025 season with the Titans, during which he averaged the fewest net yards per punt of his career.
In addition to his punting duties in Minnesota, Hekker will also become the holder in the Vikings’ kicking battery with kicker Will Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola. Reicard, a 2024 sixth-round pick, earned a first-team All-Pro nod in his sophomore season – like his new teammate – after making 33 of his 35 field goal attempts and all of his extra points. His only two misses came from over 50 yards, and he made another 13 kicks from that distance or longer. DePaola is in the midst of his own impressive run with three Pro Bowls and four All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team) nods in the last four years.
The trio will look to continue the Vikings’ special teams success into 2026 with the entire team hungry for a playoff berth after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Fallout From Vikings’ Kyler Murray Signing; Team To Re-Sign Carson Wentz?
The Vikings entered the offseason seeking competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whose first year as a starter went awry. They found it in signing former Cardinals franchise signal-caller Kyler Murray to a one-year, prove-it deal last Wednesday.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort tried to find a trade partner for Murray before releasing him, but it was too difficult to pull off because of the two-time Pro Bowler’s bloated contract. Had Murray been on someone’s roster on March 15, $19.5MM of his 2027 salary would have vested. Nobody was willing to take that chance on Murray, who struggled during a limited 2025. He played just five games, none after Week 5, as a result of a Lisfranc injury.
Murray’s tenure in Arizona did not go as planned, though the 2019 No. 1 overall pick was open to staying there before the team released him. While Murray was “genuinely surprised” the Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon, he approved of the hiring of Mike LaFleur as his replacement, Albert Breer of SI.com writes. But it turns out Murray will not play for LaFleur, who will try to lead a franchise turnaround after Gannon mustered a disastrous 15-36 record in three years.
By the time the Cardinals officially cut Murray last Wednesday, he and agent Erik Burkhardt had already identified the Vikings as their ideal option, per Breer. Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and head coach Kevin O’Connell quickly invited Murray and Burkhardt to Minnesota for a visit.
Murray was among a “handful” of experienced signal-callers the Vikings studied, according to Breer, but it appealed to both team and player that he could be more than a one-year solution. An inexpensive pact between the sides came together in short order, which prevented other clubs from meeting with Murray.
“O’Connell made sure he got first crack at him,” one GM told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.
Set to turn 29 in August, Murray is not the Vikings’ QB1 yet. He still has to beat out McCarthy, 23, for the role. Although the Vikings invested the 10th pick in the 2024 draft on McCarthy, multiple “high-level NFL offensive coaches” informed La Canfora that they expect Murray to win the job. If that happens, the O’Connell-led Vikings will hope for a Sam Darnold-like revival from Murray.
Darnold resurrected his career during his one season in Minnesota in 2024, but with the Vikings ready to turn the keys over to McCarthy, they let him walk in free agency a year ago. He went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2025, while the Vikings fell from 14-3 to 9-8 and missed the playoffs. McCarthy posted rough numbers over 10 starts and missed seven games with injuries to his ankle, head and hand.
While Murray and McCarthy will do battle this summer, they may have company in Minnesota’s QB derby. Carson Wentz, who spent 2025 with the Vikings, is among free agent possibilities. Even after the Vikings added Murray, there is “mutual interest” between the team and Wentz, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Wentz, a late-August signing last year, filled in for an injured McCarthy for five starts. The 33-year-old journeyman was the more productive of the pair, but he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in late October. Wentz’s injury left McCarthy and overmatched rookie Max Brosmer as the Vikings’ starting QB choices for the rest of a disappointing campaign.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/26
Here are Friday’s minor NFL moves as free agency continues into the weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: WR Simi Fehoko
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: G Corey Bullock
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: LB Claudin Cherelus
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: CB Jaylon Jones
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: CB D’Angelo Ross
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: TE Princeton Fant
Denver Broncos
- Signed RFA tender: CB Ja’Quan McMillian
Houston Texans
- Waived: DT Kurt Hinish
Miami Dolphins
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Ethan Bonner
- Signed: P Seth Vernon
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: C Zeke Correll
New York Giants
- Signed: S Elijah Campbell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: TE Ko Kieft
After making the call not to tender him as a restricted free agent, the Panthers were able to come to an agreement to re-sign Cherelus. The undrafted linebacker has started six of 27 game appearances in his last two years with Carolina, logging 60 total tackles.
Unlike Cherelus, McMillian did get tendered in Denver. With 16 starts in 51 games appearances over four years with the Broncos, McMillian’s tender is worth $5.77MM for the 2026 season, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
The Texans signed Hinish to a one-year deal last year, but the Notre Dame product spent the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. Instead of holding on to him for the upcoming season, they’ve decided to cut him from the roster.
Vikings To Sign QB Kyler Murray
As expected, Kyler Murray is heading to Minnesota. The quarterback is inking a one-year deal with the Vikings, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The 28-year-old Murray was always destined to make $36.8MM in 2026 by virtue of his release from the Cardinals, and the Vikings are indeed only paying their acquisition a minimum salary. Notably, the team did include a no-tag clause in Murray’s deal, meaning he’ll hit unrestricted free agency once again next year.
While one report stated Murray could exercise patience in finding a new home, he will head elsewhere just one day after the Cardinals made his long-awaited release official. The Vikings immediately became the frontrunners to sign Murray, the former No. 1 pick who fell out of favor in Arizona after seven seasons.
The Cardinals’ attempts to trade Murray proved futile, leading the team to cut him and take on $54.3MM in dead money. They will reportedly incur a $47.1MM dead cap charge in 2026 and a much more manageable $7.2MM hit in ’27.
A former Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma, the 5-foot-10, 207-pound Murray’s NFL career got off to an auspicious start. Murray took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 before earning back-to-back original-ballot Pro Bowl nods from 2020-21. The Cardinals won 11 games to break a five-year playoff drought in Murray’s third season, but the Rams crushed them in the wild-card round. Thanks in part to injuries, Murray’s career has trended downward since the Cardinals awarded him a five-year, $230MM extension in July 2022.
A torn ACL in late 2022 cost Murray six games that year, and the recovery process held him out of the Cardinals’ first nine contests the next season. After Murray shook off the rust during his late-2023 return, he showed some encouraging signs in 2024. In the only 17-game season of his career, Murray completed 68.8% of passes for 3,851 yards (7.1 per attempt), 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 93.5 passer rating and a career-best 63.4 QBR. As a runner, Murray amassed 572 yards on 7.3 per carry and chipped in another five TDs.
Murray was unable to build on the momentum in 2025, yet another injury-shortened season. A mid-foot sprain limited Murray to just five games. He did not take the field beyond Oct. 5.
Like Murray, injuries have been a problem for Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The 2024 first-round pick from Michigan missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus, leading veteran Sam Darnold to fill in for the entire year. Darnold revived his career during a 14-3 season, but the Vikings let him walk in free agency.
Darnold, now a reigning Super Bowl champion, signed a three-year, $100.5MM pact with the Seahawks. Daniel Jones, a former Giants starter, finished 2024 as Darnold’s backup in Minnesota. While the Vikings tried to re-sign Jones, he took the Colts’ offer instead because he saw a clearer path to playing time. Jones went on to enjoy a career resurgence in 2025, leading the Colts to re-sign him to a two-year, $88MM contract this week. The Vikings were interested in reuniting with Jones before the Colts placed the transition tag on the 28-year-old and then extended him.
Minnesota’s pursuit of veteran signal-callers came in response to a rough first year as a starter for McCarthy. Three different injuries – a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his right hand – held McCarthy to 10 games. The 9-8 Vikings managed six wins in McCarthy’s 10 starts, but he threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11). McCarthy also completed just 57.6% of passes while ranking near the bottom in the league in traditional passer rating (72.6) and QBR (35.7).
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the general manager who drafted McCarthy, lost his job in January. Before his ouster, he and head coach Kevin O’Connell made it known they would at least seek veteran competition for McCarthy this offseason. The offensive-minded O’Connell now has it in Murray, who will aim to follow in Darnold’s footsteps in Minnesota. If Murray beats out McCarthy and reestablishes himself as a legitimate starter in 2026, he could position himself for another lucrative deal a year from now.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Cardinals Release Kyler Murray; Vikings Frontrunners To Add QB
11:25pm: Following news that the Vikings are the favorite for Murray, the team will indeed be hosting the QB on a visit tomorrow, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
3:08pm: The 2026 league year has started — precisely one minute ago. The Cardinals did not waste any time; the team announced its Kyler Murray release.
This concludes a seven-year chapter, one that ended as most expected it to. The Cardinals now have Gardner Minshew on the roster, accompanying Jacoby Brissett. This will be a post-June 1 cut, which will help Arizona cap-wise. Teams cannot announce post-June 1 cuts until this afternoon, explaining the delay on the long-expected Murray release.
With $36.8MM guaranteed to a quarterback coming off a five-game season and trending downward, the Cardinals were never viewed as having a realistic chance to reach their goal of trading Murray. Connected frequently to the Vikings, Murray may well be headed north as a free agent soon.
Minnesota is viewed as the favorite to land the former No. 1 overall pick, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. This is not especially surprising, as Murray has been connected to Minnesota for months. A recent report suggested the 28-year-old passer is eyeing in the Vikings, who have been tied to interest here — as Murray will likely be available for the veteran minimum thanks to the nature of his Arizona exit.
The Cardinals, Jets (Geno Smith) and Dolphins (Malik Willis) have made starter-level quarterback additions, the Vikings have refrained. Murray looks likely to be Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy competition, though the two-time Pro Bowler is a more talented player and would be favored to start in 2026. The Vikes are walking a tightrope here, as our Adam La Rose discussed in his most recent mailbag. They are still tethered to McCarthy’s development while understandably wanting a potentially better option after concerning 2025 play from the top-10 pick. Murray will be looking to bounce back after a lost 2025.
Minnesota used the No. 10 overall pick on McCarthy but lost him to a season-nullifying injury last year. A high ankle sprain shelved McCarthy for a chunk of the season last year, and given the Michigan alum’s early-season struggles, rumblings the Vikings were giving him time to reset emerged. When McCarthy replaced Carson Wentz around midseason, he was wildly inconsistent. The team saw 2024 starter Sam Darnold pilot the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has since been fired. Quarterback issues undoubtedly played a key role in the four-year GM’s ouster.
Murray played under Drew Petzing, an ex-Kevin Stefanski assistant. Stefanski’s past under Gary Kubiak ties Kevin O’Connell — a Sean McVay disciple — to the same sturdy Mike Shanahan coaching tree. This would stand to make a Murray-Minnesota transition easier, but the diminutive QB’s best work came under Kliff Kingsbury earlier in his career.
O’Connell rehabilitated Darnold’s career in 2024, overseeing a Pro Bowl nod after coaxing quality play from Kirk Cousins before his October 2023 Achilles tear. Murray, who booked original-ballot Pro Bowl invites in 2020 and ’21, has displayed quality work as a passer and runner but has been inconsistent. He was not playing especially well before a December 2022 ACL tear, which came after he signed a five-year, $230.5MM Cardinals extension. The Cards held off on redeploying Murray until midway through the 2023 season, and while Murray ranked ninth in QBR in 2024 — a 17-game season — more injury trouble intervened as the QB was struggling yet again.
Averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt through five games under Petzing in 2025, Murray went down with a foot injury and never returned. The Cardinals looked ready to move Murray back into the starting lineup later in the season, but an about-face led to a shutdown.
The Cardinals’ previous regime had authorized the five-year extension, and the deal brought an advanced guarantee for 2026. Murray remaining on Arizona’s roster by mid-March of 2025 guaranteed his ’26 salary, leading to this post-June 1 designation.
The Cardinals will take a $47.1MM dead money hit in 2026 as a result of the Murray release, though OverTheCap lists the signal-caller’s 2027 dead cap number at $7.2MM. Should that split hold true, Arizona’s new coaching staff will feel some pain this season before seeing considerable relief in Year 2. The Cardinals do not have an inspiring QB setup presently, with Minshew and Brissett bridge types (at best). But they are getting out of the big-ticket QB-contract business after nearly four years.
Atlanta already took advantage of a post-June 1 designation by scooping up Tua Tagovailoa on what is expected to be a veteran-minimum deal. Murray is expected to be available, as Wilson was in 2024 with Pittsburgh, for the vet minimum. That could bring value for the Vikings, though the former Heisman winner is expected to be patient before committing, as this bounce-back opportunity will help determine if his career has a positive second act.
Vikings Re-Sign DB Tavierre Thomas
Tavierre Thomas is returning to Minnesota. The special teamer is signing a new two-year deal with the Vikings, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The veteran initially joined the organization on a one-year deal last offseason. The Vikings are committing to him for at least another two seasons, with Schefter noting that Thomas will earn a total of $4.6MM on the new deal.
Thomas primarily played on special teams during his first season with the Vikings. He ended up getting into all 17 games with his new squad, collecting 23 tackles.
The 30-year-old played a similar role with the Buccaneers in 2024, but he was a key part of the Texans secondary between 2021 and 2023. He started 19 of his 36 appearances over that span, collecting 178 tackles, five forced fumbles, and six passes defended. He also tallied a pair of interceptions during the 2021 campaign, including a pick-six.
Thomas can expect a similiar special teams role in 2026. The team added James Pierre to their secondary, but they could clear up some depth by not re-signing Fabian Moreau and Jeff Okudah.
Eagles Discussing Trade, Extension For Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard
Jonathan Greenard remains one of the top edge rushers who could be on the move soon. To little surprise, the Vikings Pro Bowler is still on the radar of the Eagles.
Philadelphia continues to make trade calls on Greenard, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Crucially, she adds conversations are ongoing with Greenard’s agent about a potential extension. Minnesota is open to a trade in this case with a raise being sought out.
The Eagles pursued Trey Hendrickson and Maxx Crosby but came up short on both high-profile edge rushers. Greenard’s push for a new contract, after a 2025 season that was not as good as his 2024 slate, emerged recently. But it sounds like the Eagles are open to accommodating the former Texans draftee here.
Philly tried multiple in-season fixes last year, bringing Brandon Graham out of retirement and trading for Jaelan Phillips. This came after Za’Darius Smith‘s in-season retirement. Philly, which also saw Nolan Smith spend time on IR in 2025, was viewed as close to re-signing Phillips. But the Panthers came in with a four-year, $120MM deal. It would surprise if Greenard fetches that, especially with the Eagles not deeming Phillips worth that price. But a lower-cost alternative looks to be available — and GM Howie Roseman is an aggressive trader.
Prior to the Greenard talks heating up, Russini reported the Eagles were eyeing EDGE help. The team still rosters Smith but has not quite seen him justify his first-round cost. Jalyx Hunt led the Eagles with 6.5 sacks, but the first-year starter registered a promising 24 QB hits. Philly lost auxiliary rushers Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari today in free agency.
Greenard, 29 in May, became an attractive free agency piece in 2024 after a 12.5-sack season in his Houston contract year. The former third-round pick followed that up with a 12-sack Minnesota debut; both Greenard and teammate Andrew Van Ginkel earned original-ballot Pro Bowl acclaim that year, as the Vikings went 14-3. Greenard only notched three sacks in 12 games last season, however, making this contract crusade curious.
He is tied to a four-year, $76MM deal. That contract runs through the 2027 season, but the Vikings have been seeking a Day 2 pick to move on. (The Eagles traded a third-rounder for Phillips and, after letting Milton Williams and Josh Sweat walk in 2025, received four compensatory picks — one of them a third-rounder — in this year’s draft.) Minnesota has Van Ginkel and 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner rostered at the position. As it stands, Turner is blocked from a starting role thanks to the veterans’ presences. But Turner broke through for eight sacks and 15 QB hits in 2025, providing Minnesota optimism in the event it can collect a notable asset for Greenard.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.