The Minnesota Vikings are currently in the honeymoon phase of a new brain trust, including head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Nolan Teasley. But when they’re done throwing compliments at each other, they’ll need to figure out the future of the quarterback position.
Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are currently in a competition that seems to be decided entering this week’s minicamp. But it’s a dynamic situation that could include a potential trade for McCarthy and a big decision on who they’ll keep going into 2027.
The ripple effects of that decision could be felt throughout the roster, and according to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, it could determine the future of Brian O’Neill as he enters the final year of his contract.
“Budgeting for this could become an interesting proposition for the Vikings. The team will have to decide on Jordan Addison’s future, and Andrew Van Ginkel’s contract is scheduled to be voided after 2026. Most importantly, uncertainty around the team’s quarterback situation clouds spending elsewhere.”
QB decision could make Brian O’Neill too expensive to keep for Minnesota Vikings
Lewis mentioned that O’Neill isn’t the only veteran in this situation, but he may be the most important one to monitor.
While the Vikings' middle of the offensive line has been an annual question mark, O’Neill has held down the right tackle spot since he was selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
A respected leader in the locker room, there’s a good chance the Vikings will want to keep him around, but Lewis adds that finding a reasonable price could be a challenge due to the market.
“Last fall, the Carolina Panthers signed right tackle Taylor Moton to a two-year extension, paying him $22 million in average annual value through 2027. The Cleveland Browns recently extended right tackle Tytus Howard for $22.5 million in average annual value.
O’Neill could understandably view himself as deserving of a smidge more, especially considering the year-over-year salary-cap increase.”
With Lewis’s comments, it’s possible that O’Neill feels he deserves more than the $21.1 million market value projection by Spotrac.
It’s also possible that the Vikings may not be able to afford him, depending on how the quarterback position ends up at the end of the season.
Murray is currently the frontrunner to win the starting quarterback job, and his performance could dictate the outcome at the end of the year.
If Murray plays well, he could command something similar to the three-year, $100.5 million contract Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason or the two-year, $88 million contract Daniel Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
Each contract has its own amount of movable funds to create cap space and flexibility. But paying somewhere between $33.5 million and $44 million per season for a starting quarterback would take money away from what the Vikings could offer O’Neill.
While the Vikings could also save money if they rolled with McCarthy into the final year of his rookie deal, which has a $5.9 million cap hit according to Over The Cap, that scenario is looking less likely with each practice.
There’s also an avenue for a blockbuster trade if neither quarterback works out, which could also put a big charge on the salary cap and throw O’Neill’s future into more uncertainty.
This is the type of decision that Teasley helped John Schneider make frequently during his time with the Seattle Seahawks.
While it led to some difficult departures, including Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf, Seattle leveraged those decisions into valuable assets that built the foundation of a Super Bowl champion.
The Vikings used to approach these decisions by extending cornerstones and running with the bill as long as they could. But they also could benefit from letting O’Neill leave and looking for a younger (and cheaper) replacement after this season.
The search for a quarterback may mean some choices need to be made, and it could have a massive effect on O’Neill’s future.
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