The legal tampering period and NFL Free Agency are about to kick off, and who will be the Minnesota Vikings' next quarterback has been one of the biggest topics leading up to it. Rumors have been rampant about who the Vikings might target to replace or compete with J.J. McCarthy for the job.
Names like Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, and Anthony Richardson have been floated out there. Now, with just a matter of hours from the start of free agency, Kyler Murray has emerged as the frontrunner for the job.
There's plenty of chatter that the entire NFL believes Murray signing with the Vikings is a certainty. The consensus fallback plan, or option B, is former Seahawks and Raiders quarterback Geno Smith. It seems like one will be the newest quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, but what if the team signs both of them?
Could signing both Kyler Murray and Geno Smith make sense for the Minnesota Vikings in 2026?
It seems like an absurd premise at first glance. Why would the Vikings spend money on two quarterbacks who are both looking to be starters with another team? Why would a quarterback in that position agree to terms with a team that has already signed a quarterback who is the favorite to be their new starter?
Those are very legit concerns, and the reason why it's unlikely or seems like an idea out of left field, but it actually makes some sense on paper for everyone involved.
Let's start with the quarterbacks themselves. It's been widely reported that if you are an NFL quarterback, and one who is looking to rejuvenate their career, Minnesota is the place you want to go. Sam Darnold is the prime example, and we know how that worked out.
Daniel Jones also suddenly became a very good NFL quarterback after just a few months of working with Kevin O'Connell and his staff. Both Kyler Murray and Geno Smith are looking to have the same type of jump start that leads them into one last big NFL contract.
The path to reps also needs to be figured in. It's widely assumed that Kyler Murray will be signing with the Vikings, and let's assume he does that early in free agency. That would make one think that Geno Smith would look elsewhere, but his route to reps and being the starter still could remain very high in Minnesota.
Kyler Murray is coming off a season where he was essentially benched for a career backup in Jacoby Brissett. He also has missed 21 games over the last three seasons. So there are performance and injury issues that could clear a path for Geno Smith to be the starter.
J.J. McCarthy will be a non-factor in the battle for reps, as he'll be pushed to the back burner. Kevin O'Connell has said his timeline has changed, so he will be relegated to quarterback three, and that might actually be a good thing for him.
Minnesota, even with Murray already signed, would still be a more attractive option for Smith than going to the New York Jets, a rebuilding Miami Dolphins team, or backing up a young quarterback like Bryce Young in Carolina or Michael Penix in Atlanta.
Smith could come in and battle Murray for the starting gig, and if he loses, he can know he's just one injury, or a couple of bad Murray games away from getting the job.
For the Vikings, it makes a lot of sense to sign both of these quarterbacks. The biggest reason is just how poorly the quarterback room was handled a season ago.
The foul taste of the debacle that was McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer is still lingering in the mouths of Kevin O'Connell, his offensive staff, and, most importantly, the ownership. There is no way they are going to head into 2026 in a similar situation, and they have already said that strengthening the quarterback room is a major priority.
Having a quarterback room made up of two veterans hungry to prove themselves and a young developmental quarterback is much healthier than the abomination that was put on the field in 2025.
The price tag is also a factor. Bringing in both Kyler Murray and Geno Smith is going to be dirt cheap. Since they are both owed money by their former teams, both are projected to sign for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million.
That makes both signings low-risk with a very high reward. The Vikings have cleared up plenty of cap space to afford them both, and if they can get quality quarterback play for under $3 milion, that is an absolute no-brainer.
The competition in camp is also going to be good for the Vikings. If both were to sign, they'd publicly say how it's a three man compeition for the job, whether the fans or media believe that.
That would drive all three of these quarterbacks to push themselves extra hard to be the best every single day. Three chances at getting a quality starter are much better than one, and perhaps Murray, Smith, or even McCarthy will push themselves to levels they've never reached before.
The consensus is that the Vikings will sign Murray in free agency, but they are also enamored with Smith. Many assume the team will sign one or the other, but there are plenty of factors that prove that signing them both makes sense for the Vikings and these two veteran quarterbacks.