It's the dawn of a new era with the Minnesota Vikings as quarterback J.J. McCarthy being handed the keys to the franchise and start driving it in 2025.
This offseason has been wild for Minnesota. Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones left for other teams, and Aaron Rodgers has been thrown into every rumor about being attached at the hip to the Vikings. Ultimately, the Vikings held firm and decided to give McCarthy the starting job.
Minnesota has still been active in bringing in other quarterbacks to the roster. Brett Rypien was already with the Vikings, so it was about bringing in one or two more. Sam Howell was acquired during the 2025 NFL Draft, and former Minnesota Golden Gophers starter Max Brosmer was signed after the draft ended.
With those four now coming together for training camp, the Vikings have solidified the quarterback room with no signs of adding anyone else. There are some that question how good this group is compared to others around the league.
Where did the Minnesota Vikings QB room rank among the rest of the NFL?
CBS Sports writer Garrett Podell did not put it lightly when ranking his worst quarterback rooms in the league, as he ranked Minnesota as the fourth worst. Podell questions how much the organization backs up McCarthy as the franchise quarterback.
"The Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy 10th overall out of Michigan with an eye on him being their starting quarterback in the future, and they let Sam Darnold walk this offseason to accelerate that timeline.
However, it's unclear how much faith they have in McCarthy fully being ready to roll in 2025 after tearing his meniscus in the 2024 preseason. O'Connell confirmed Minnesota 'evaluated' Aaron Rodgers and is 'hopeful' McCarthy is the team's starting quarterback. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
The Vikings acquired veteran quarterback Sam Howell during the 2025 NFL Draft along with a fifth-round pick (172nd overall) in exchange for the 142nd overall pick in the fifth round. Howell started all 17 games for the Washington Commanders as a rookie in 2023, and he led the NFL with 612 pass attempts while playing on a team with the league's worst defense.
He also threw as many interceptions, 21 (most in the NFL), as touchdowns as a result of forcing the ball downfield to try and make up for the porous defense.
Brett Rypien is a journeyman, now on his third NFL team, and has just four starts in 10 career games played. Minnesota signed rookie undrafted free agent Max Brosmer this offseason after he served as the Golden Gophers' starting quarterback just down the road at the University of Minnesota.
Barring a sudden change of heart from O'Connell and Minnesota's front office that results in Rodgers being signed, McCarthy is the guy."
There have been multiple moments this offseason where the Vikings have supported McCarthy being the starter. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke out before the draft about the former Michigan Wolverine quarterback's readiness to start. Even McCarthy gave Viking fans hope with his words earlier in the week.
While the quarterback room doesn't have the experience it did last year, Rypien and Howell have both started games in the NFL and witnessed the league's ups and downs. The two have started a combined 20 games in the NFL.
One missing part of this equation is the effect of O'Connell and his development of quarterbacks over the years. Kirk Cousins was a Pro Bowler in O'Connell's first season as head coach in 2022 and transformed Darnold into a Pro Bowl quarterback last year.
The uneasiness of the quarterbacks in Minnesota will continue to be a storyline until the new season begins, but the Vikings might be better off than some experts believe.