A former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has found a new NFL home. John Wolford, who spent the 2023 season with the Bucs is now heading to Minnesota to give the Vikings some quarterback depth after they lost Carson Wentz for the season.
Wolford was originally on the Buccaneers practice squad early on in 2023 but the Bucs eventually were forced to promote him to the active roster when the Vikings tried to poach him then. There's obvious interest in Wolford since Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell coached Wolford when the two were in the Rams organization together so it's a bit surprising it took this long for him to finally bring him to Minneapolis.
The Vikings are signing veteran QB John Wolford to the practice squad, per sources.
Wolford was coached by Kevin O’Connell with the Rams and spent training camp this year with KOC protege Grant Udinski in Jacksonville. Some experienced depth behind J.J. McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/ANyEWLE19b
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 29, 2025
Former Bucs QB John Wolford signs with Vikings
Wolford went undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2018 and initially signed with the Jets as a UDFA but didn't end up making the final roster or the practice squad. He spent a year with the Arizona Hotshots in the Alliance of American Football but then that league disbanded after a solo season.
In the 2019 offseason, Wolford signed with the Rams and that's where his career took off (well, as much as a career can take off for an undrafted quarterback). In 2020, Wolford filled in for an injured Jared Goff in one regular season game and one playoff game but had to leave the playoff game early due to a neck injury.
Wolford's only other NFL appearances also came with the Rams, as he played in three games in 2021 and made three starts in 2022. Since then, however, he's been unable to get on the field during the regular season and that includes his time spent with the Buccaneers in 2023.
Wolford didn't make the Bucs final roster in 2024 but he did eventually find a home in Jacksonville at the end of the season. He was a free agent when the Vikings came calling and now he'll be reunited with O'Connell in Minnesota.
The Vikings plan to go back to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy as their starter with Max Brosmer as their backup. McCarthy started the first two games of the season for the Vikings before sustaining an injury, forcing Wentz into action for the next five games.
The Vikings are probably hoping they don't need to play Wolford for any period of time but if they do, at least he and O'Connell have worked together before.