Vikings Linked to $75 Million QB as J.J. McCarthy’s Backup

The Minnesota Vikings are officially in the market for another quarterback after saying goodbye to three of them upon the start of the new NFL year.

J.J. McCarthy now appears the overwhelmingly likely choice to start Week 1, after Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens departed for the Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively. But the 22-year-old McCarthy needs a viable veteran backup QB after a rookie season deleted by injury, and Brett Rypien is the only other signal-caller under contract.

There are a handful of potential options still available in free agency, though Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported on the Tuesday, March 11 edition of “SKOR North” that several in the Vikings organization hold one specific player in high regard.

“There’s still people in this front office going back years that have been fans of Marcus Mariota,” Wolfson said.

Marcus Mariota Has Had Productive 10-Year NFL Career as Starter, Backup QB

Mariota spent the first four and a half seasons of his career as a starter with the Tennessee Titans, who made him the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2015 draft.

He spent four of the past five years as a backup QB with the Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland), Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. Mariota also started 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022.

All told, Mariota is 34-40 as a starter and has amassed north of 16,000 passing yards, 97 TDs and 55 INTs. He spent last year in the Washington, where he appeared in three games and threw for 364 yards, 4 TDs and zero INTs on a 77.3% completion percentage (34-of-44).

Mariota, 31, has earned approximately $75.5 million over the course of his 10-year career. Spotrac projects his market value at $4.2 million on a new one-year deal.

Marcus Mariota Fits Bill of What Vikings Want Behind J.J. McCarthy

Mariota has never been a franchise-changer, and the Vikings won’t expect him to be. But he does fit the niche specifications that Minnesota appears to be seeking in a QB to play behind McCarthy.

Mariota is a veteran who can help McCarthy navigate what will be his second pro campaign, but his first actually healthy and on the field. Mariota is good enough to step in if McCarthy leaves a game early or misses a few starts due to injury, but he’s not so talented that he will threaten McCarthy’s starting role or future with the franchise should McCarthy struggle through a few consecutive outings.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell proved in 2023 that he could compete with quarterbacks like Mullens and Josh Dobbs, so this iteration of the Vikings should be able to win with Mariota — at least to some degree — if it needs to rely on him for a stretch in 2025.

Finally, Mariota’s expected price of $4 million keeps costs down for a Minnesota team that has McCarthy on a rookie deal for three more seasons plus a team option for the 2028 campaign. The Vikings have already spent big to fortify the offensive and defensive lines, and can use the money they’re saving under center to address what is likely to prove a mass migration of starters in the secondary this offseason.