Russell Wilson
Getty
Russell Wilson could land with the Vikings.
While the Minnesota Vikings expect to start quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, things remain unsettled after McCarthy.
The Vikings lost backup quarterback Carson Wentz for the season due to a shoulder injury, and Minnesota’s backups are now rookie Max Brosmer on the roster and veteran John Wolford on the practice squad. USA Today’s Jacob Camenker predicts that the Vikings will trade for New York Giants backup quarterback Russell Wilson, a 10-time Pro Bowler who has seen better days.
“That could lead the Vikings to buy low on Wilson,” Camenker wrote. “It wouldn’t be to install him as a starter, but it would provide McCarthy with a veteran sounding board as he looks to establish himself as Minnesota’s quarterback of the future.”
“The Giants should be willing to part with Wilson on the cheap, and the Vikings would only have to take on a prorated version of the 36-year-old quarterback’s $2 million salary for the 2025 season,” Camenker added.
Wilson’s experience is invaluable for a young quarterback like McCarthy. In 14 seasons, Wilson has thrown for 46,921 yards and 353 touchdowns versus 114 interceptions in 204 career games.
He led the Seattle Seahawks to a pair of Super Bowl appearances and won one. Wilson has a 9-8 career postseason record with 4,056 yards and 27 touchdowns versus 12 picks.
Russell Wilson Would Give Vikings QB Insurance
If McCarthy were to get hurt again, the Vikings would have a proven veteran to step in. Wilson hasn’t looked the part of a great starting quarterback for a while, but he has still produced big at times.
That includes a 414-yard, three-touchdown game for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. This season, Wilson put together 450-yard, three-touchdown game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
In both cases, Wilson wasn’t working with a receiving corps on the level of Vikings wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, plus tight end T.J. Hockenson.
NFL Analyst Weighs In on Playoff Hopes With J.J. McCarthy
While the jury is still out on McCarthy with just two regular season games, former NFL running back and current NFL analyst Rashad Jennings sees good things coming for the Vikings with McCarthy eventually.
“Not sure if it’s going to happen this year,” Jennings said during Good Morning Football on Friday. “When you talk about the NFC North, … they’re at the bottom, and they’re at the bottom with a really good team up top, and that’s good teams and that’s being the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.”
“I don’t know if it’s enough juice over there to take them over that hump,” Jennings added.
The Vikings could put a dent in the Lions’ NFC North lead on Sunday, but it will be a tall order for McCarthy’s third career start, even if it’s back in Michigan, where he was a college star for the Wolverines. Minnesota’s schedule ahead looks all the more brutal with the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Packers, and Seahawks before December. The final month of the season will only get harder with the Washington Commanders, Cowboys, Giants and both the Lions and Packers again — all teams that could be in the playoff hunt.