Vikings Reporter Shares Important Update to QB Situation

The Minnesota Vikings still have an intriguing question about adding a third quarterback on the roster.

J.J. McCarthy and Brett Rypien are the only quarterbacks listed after Sam Darnold departed to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. Former Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been in conversation with Minnesota, but the Vikings want to move forward with McCarthy as the starting quarterback. Joe Flacco was also a candidate to sign, but he signed with the Cleveland Browns.

With limited options in free agency, what will the Vikings do about adding one last quarterback?

While speaking with Dan Barreiro on KFAN on Friday, Minnesota Star Tribune Vikings beat reporter Ben Goessling shared an update on the quarterback situation in Minnesota. Goessling started by saying everyone should watch April 28th as a key date for when the Vikings could sign a third quarterback.

"So if you wait until 3:01, you can sign whoever you want at whatever price you want and you’re not affecting anything you might get in next year’s draft. The Vikings believe they’re going to get at least two comp picks, possibly three if Trent Sherfield has enough of a role in Denver that his contract get elevated."

Minnesota has limited options without Flacco in the picture and Drew Lock out after signing with the Seahawks. The top two free agent quarterbacks besides Rodgers are Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill. Wentz has connections with the Vikings that would help with the transition.

“They have some familiarity with Wentz. Josh McCown actually backed him up in Philadelphia. So they do have some history with him. They understand what makes him tick probably better than a lot of teams would so that could be an option. Now you can feel good about him or you can not feel so good about him based on familiarity with him but they will have enough to go off of based on McCown’s experience with him on top of everything else they may be able to get from it.”

Wentz made the Pro Bowl in 2017 with the Philadelphia Eagles as part of their Super Bowl-winning team. He spent last season as Patrick Mahomes' backup in Kansas City.

Tannehill gives the Vikings another option in free agency with essential connections to the franchise.

‘Tannehill shares an agent with J.J. McCarthy. I think there’s enough of an understanding, a very different time horizons to use the quasi phrase that it could work. But with him he didn’t play all of last year. Does he want to come back? Does he want to live in Minnesota? All those questions that I think you would have to answer with him.”

Last year, Tannehill was a free agent with no football team. In 2019, he won Comeback Player of the Year and made the Pro Bowl with the Tennessee Titans.

Barriero and Goessling also discussed the possibility of former starting quarterback Kirk Cousins returning to Minnesota as a backup. 

“My sense of it has been that if he does get to that point that there is no realistic options to start that Minnesota would be attractive to him for a lot of obvious reasons. He knows the offense better than just about anybody outside of the coaching staff. He knows the area. Maybe he can get his house back, his neighbor can shovel his driveway again, you know schools are familiar and those kind of things are there for him. The question I have is how does that play in the locker room?"

Cousins played for the Vikings for six seasons and made three Pro Bowls. Last year, he started for the Atlanta Falcons but was benched for Michael Penix to end the season.