The Minnesota Vikings took J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft last year, so you would think that Arch Manning — or any of the quarterbacks set to be featured in the 2026 draft class — would not be on their radar.
However, given that McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign due to a knee injury and is still entirely unproven, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski feels that Manning may actually be a possibility for the Vikings.
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Not only, but Sobleski went as far to label Minnesota the best possible landing spot for Manning in the event that McCarthy doesn't pan out.
"If the Vikings falter with McCarthy behind center (or he suffers another injury) and the possibility of acquiring the latest Manning becomes realistic, the situation becomes real interesting," Sobleski wrote. "For Manning, the Vikings have stability and a strong roster. Offensively, whoever starts behind center will be throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson."
Minnesota unquestionably has one of the best groups of weapons in all of football, and the Vikings have also improved their offensive line.
"McCarthy not working out would be surprising. If that happens, though, other quarterbacks should be looking to the franchise, which is set up to succeed," Sobleski added. "The Manning family will understand what's possible in Minnesota."
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Of course, a major collapse would need to occur in order for the Vikings to have any chance of drafting Manning. Minnesota went 14-3 last season, so even with McCarthy now under center instead of Sam Darnold, it seems hard to imagine that the Vikings will suddenly finish with one of the league's worst records.
Now, it should be noted that Minnesota is dealing with some injury issues heading into the season, and Addison's three-game suspension could also throw a wrench into things, as well. So maybe there is an outside shot.
It probably isn't happening, though.
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