Minnesota Vikings 2018 season offseason forecast: Quarterbacks
By Adam Carlson
The quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings is completely up in the air entering the 2018 NFL season and the team will need to make some movies.
The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2017 NFL season with an impressive stable of quarterbacks and a lot of depth that allowed them to make it all the way to the NFC Championship Round of the playoffs.
However, the future of nearly all those passers are up in the air entering the 2018 season and considering the importance of the position the decision of the franchise could have a massive impact on not only the upcoming season but the ones following it.
Let’s take a look at the four quarterbacks who finished the year with the Minnesota Vikings and what their status is this offseason.
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Quarterbacks under contract in 2018
- Kyle Sloter
Quarterbacks set to become free agents
Unknown situation
The Vikings can’t feel comfortable with just Sloter on their roster as the starter. His lack of experience and raw ability make him an interesting project quarterback, but Minnesota needs to find a starting caliber player.
If Bridgewater’s contract tolls and he is under contract for 2018, he will immediately become the team’s starting quarterback. If that doesn’t happen, the search for a new passer should begin as soon as possible.
The Vikings should find out the status of Bridgewater’s contract soon. As soon as that is discovered, the team will make the call to search for a starting caliber signal caller or a backup depending on Teddy’s availability. Sloter will remain a QB2 or QB3.
Meanwhile, it appears as though the future may not be as bright for Sam Bradford, who attempted to return to the team against the Chicago Bears in Week 5 but was pulled from the game and eventually ended the season on injured reserve.
Offseason options
- Attempt to re-sign Keenum or Bridgewater – The Vikings may want to look into bringing back Keenum or Bridgewater if they are left with only Sloter on the roster. Either one is a good option for a starter.
- Acquire a starting caliber quarterback – Whether it is getting Bridgewater back due to contract tolling, signing Kirk Cousins or a similar veteran passer, or trading for an established winner, this will need to happen.
- Evaluable backups – if Bridgewater does return, Minnesota will need to find another great backup much like they did with Case Keenum the last offseason.
- Draft a quarterback – Unless a potential franchise passer falls into the laps of Minnesota, this would only be looking for a backup or project quarterback. But since the team already has Sloter, odds are this would only be for a practice squad arm or QB3 if the team is ready to move forward with Sloter as QB2.
What the plan should be
Keenum will make a lot of money in free agency and some team will pay a ridiculous amount for his services. Bradford will be allowed to walk away. This makes Bridgewater the only real in-house option as Sloter continues to develop and be evaluated.
Whether Bridgewater returns in 2018 due to the contract tolling or needs an extension, he should return with Sloter and a free agent to round out the quarterback stable of the Vikings.
Next: Cousins has considered playing for Vikings
At this time, there is no way of knowing who the starting quarterback will be for the Minnesota Vikings. However, with a fantastic defense, explosive receivers, and success last season, all it takes it the right decision at the most important position in football to possibly get over the hump.