Kevin O'Connell - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings will play one of the most important mid-season games of Kevin O’Connell’s head coaching tenure today, in Detroit, where they’ll clash with the (5-2) Lions, who need a win in order to keep up with the NFC North leading (5-1) Green Bay Packers.
But the Lions aren’t nearly as desperate for a victory Sunday as the Vikings, who will start redshirt rookie JJ McCarthy for the first time since week two and just the third time of his NFL career. At 3-4, a loss could all but mathematically eliminate Minnesota from the NFC playoff picture.
JJ McCarthy - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Even after the NFL postseason expanded to three wild card teams a few years ago, it’s extremely possible that all NFC wild card teams in 2025-26 will reach at least 10 regular season wins. If they lose today in Detroit, the MN Vikings would have to go 7-2 against the remainder of their schedule to reach a 10-7 final record.
And even if a season turnaround like that is realistic, it’ll be difficult for Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to operate on Monday and Tuesday, in the hours leading up the NFL Trade Deadline, as if his team is expecting to make the postseason.
Minnesota Vikings looking for QB help at NFL Trade Deadline?
Still, at least for now, it doesn’t sound like the Minnesota Vikings have any plans to act as sellers, prior to the deadline buzzer going off at 3 p.m. CST on November 4.
In fact, according to Adam Schefter (ESPN), they are still in the market for a veteran quarterback who can make the coaching staff feel more comfortable about who is in the QB room with JJ McCarthy and Max Brosmer.
The Vikings did not want to head into this season without an experienced veteran backup quarterback…If that was Minnesota’s thought process before the season, sources believe it would be the same now, with the Vikings still needing an experienced veteran backup quarterback for J.J. McCarthy.
League sources believe Minnesota still could make a move for a quarterback by Tuesday’s deadline.
Adam Schefter – ESPN
Related: JJ McCarthy and Sam Darnold Didn’t Get Along in Minnesota?
This is mildly surprising, because of how late it is in the season. Sure, bringing in a quarterback over the age of 25 isn’t a bad idea. Afterall, JJ McCarthy and Max Brosmer have combined to throw just 49 passes in their young NFL careers.
But where are the MN Vikings going to find a QB who they can integrate into the offense seamlessly, with just half of the 2025 regular season remaining? Are they that afraid of playing Max Brosmer, and if so… why?
What QBs could the Vikings be interested in?
We just watched five games of Carson Wentz attempting to operate an offense he has no business playing in, and the results were a complete train wreck. If nothing else, Brosmer knows the offense, will play fast and hit open receivers, three things that Wentz struggled with.
And I am NOT convinced that any of the veteran quarterbacks mentioned by Schefter as possible options for the Minnesota Vikings — Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston — would do it better than Brosmer, given the situation they’d be coming into.
Kirk Cousins would make sense, but the Falcons haven’t shown any willingness to trade him, and Atlanta needs an experienced veteran backup of its own. The Giants also have two experienced backups in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
Adam Schefter – ESPN
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Mentioned in this article: Carson Wentz J.J. McCarthy Jameis Winston Kirk Cousins Max Brosmer Russell Wilson Trade Rumors More About: Minnesota Vikings
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