One of the greatest challenges for Rob Brzezinski, who is currently overseeing the Minnesota Vikings’ personnel department, will be finding potential answers at quarterback. Former top-10 pick J.J. McCarthy struggled mightily at various points in 2025, prompting the team to all but confirm they’ll add competition to the room ahead of 2026.
Who are the best and most likely candidates to be added to the roster and compete for the Vikings’ quarterback job next season?
Mac Jones
The Vikings face a unique challenge in navigating competition for McCarthy, whose rookie deal was supposed to provide flexibility for many of their stars and veterans under contract. The Vikings currently have the least cap space in the NFL (-$42.1 million), even though “funny money” restructures are likely on the way to help.
That makes Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers an extremely plausible option. Jones’ $1.0 million guaranteed salary would help add quality depth at a cost they can afford.
Pick swaps in a projected deep 2027 class could potentially convince San Francisco to part ways with a quarterback that was extremely effective, ranking ninth across the entire league in PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi).
Geno Smith
When you don’t have a ton of cash, thrift shopping is never a bad idea. Geno Smith is proverbially being donated to Goodwill.
Smith is all but assuredly going to be cut by the Las Vegas Raiders a year after he was third-worst in season-long QBi among passers with at least 10 starts. McCarthy was one of the two signal-callers behind him; Joe Flacco was the other.
While leading the league in interceptions (17) isn’t great, it’s definitely plausible to talk yourself into Smith upon examining the Raiders’ fiasco with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, a poor offensive line, and mediocre wide receiver talent. Smith was fourth in the NFL in passing yards (4,320) in 2024.
Kyler Murray
Weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and two good backs are going to be attractive to quarterbacks seeking a new home. That has to put the Vikings in play for one of the hottest names available if they can figure out the cap.
That’s Kyler Murray, the former No. 1 overall pick of an Arizona Cardinals team that seems in line to now trade him.
NFL fans might hope to see Murray undergo a reclamation the likes of which Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones received, but there’s an elephant in the room even beyond Murray’s $230.5 million extension.
Kyler played just five games last year, and the Vikings’ frustrations with McCarthy probably begin with the young quarterback’s 24 missed games due to injury in two seasons. This marriage might be more likely if Murray is ultimately released by Arizona.
Kirk Cousins
One of the most popular picks from fans and media in this saga will be a Kirk Cousins reunion. Cousins, of course, was the Vikings’ starting quarterback from 2018 through 2023, so he’s plenty familiar with the team, coach Kevin O’Connell, and most of the Vikings’ current weapons.
However, there was a reason the organization moved off Cousins. He had torn his Achilles at age 35 after a tenure where the team never advanced past the first round, per the quarterback’s 1-2 postseason record in Minneapolis.
“Upside” is the word that comes to mind in choosing to bring Cousins back into the fold. Previous acquisitions of a younger Cousins or Darnold signaled real hope of elevating a young quarterback, but the veteran would simply stabilize the position for a year as the franchise seeks a replacement for McCarthy.
Plus, Cousins will likely have a market for a modest annual salary with the Browns, Falcons, Steelers, Jets, and Cardinals all expected to show some interest in his services. Can the Vikings even enter a bidding war?
Tua Tagovailoa
With NFL insiders calling it “possible but not urgent” that the Dolphins will release Tua Tagovailoa, we have to throw him on the radar for the Vikings, too.
Tagovailoa’s next stop is likely at best a quarterback competition, so the Vikings can absolutely qualify. It’s not like he’d be a total stranger in the building, either. Tua’s offensive coordinator in Miami from 2022 to 2025 was Frank Smith, who recently joined the Vikings’ staff as an assistant head coach.
There’s minimal risk in bringing in Tagovailoa as a potential free agent, but his poor, 15-interception campaign in 2025 makes it extremely unlikely the Vikings would take on his ugly contract in their current cap situation. The Vikings were also 31st in sack rate allowed (11.0%) last year, which wouldn’t help the obvious concerns about helping Tua avoid any further head injuries.
Carson Wentz
A forgotten man in this whole exchange seems to be Carson Wentz, who might have been the Vikings’ starter all year if his shoulder injury hadn’t become too much to bear.
Wentz’s QBi score of 72.7 was 26th in the NFL and wedged between Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, and Jayden Daniels. It’s not like the former No. 2 overall pick was terrible in purple during the 2025 campaign.
A second year in Kevin O’Connell’s system with these entrenched weapons might also help the veteran, who has been a nomad since the start of 2021 as a member of five different teams.
At worst, Wentz is a backup plan should potential trade or cut candidates not manifest for the Vikings’ situation. If they end up bringing in someone else, expect him to serve as a backup for another team. Wentz is currently set to be an unrestricted free agent in March.
Joe Burrow
Hey, we can live in the land of photoshop for just a moment, no? Obviously, the Cincinnati Bengals have no qualms with Joe Burrow’s level of production despite some unfortunate injury issues over the past four seasons. Burrow was 10th in QBi last season and made the Pro Bowl. Plus, he led Cincinnati to its most recent Super Bowl trip in 2022.
Burrow would likely have to request an end to his Bengals tenure to even begin the relocation process, but he seemed unhappy with the media for unknown reasons at the end of last year. Is it possibly an annually poor defense and a third straight year out of the postseason?
If these dominoes ever began to fall, a union with his former college teammate, Jefferson, and Kevin O’Connell’s pass-friendly system would be an ideal — if not preferred — match. Plus, McCarthy would likely be a somewhat attractive piece for Cincinnati as part of the compensation.
While this is the least likely option on the list, maintaining flexibility to pull this off has to be a consideration for the Vikings’ front office.
