When asked about the team's plans at quarterback this offseason, both Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and EVP Rob Brzezinski have made it pretty clear this week that they're not ready to give up on J.J. McCarthy just yet.
At the same time, the Vikings aren't going to completely hand over the QB1 job back to McCarthy this year either, as both O'Connell and Brzezinski have talked at this week's NFL Scouting Combine about adding another quarterback to the mix who can compete with their young signal-caller this year.
Who that ultimately ends up being is still anyone's guess, but in a conversation with Vikings.com's Tatum Everett on Wednesday, NFL Media's Tom Pelissero shared what path Minnesota is probably going to take this offseason when it comes to finding another quarterback.
"They've been upfront about the fact that they want to find somebody to come in and be able to compete with J.J. McCarthy, and they think that the competitive environment will bring out the best in JJ.
I think the important thing to understand with the quarterbacks is this is a quarterback movement offseason where a lot of it's going to be defined by the guys who become available.
I can't think of another offseason in the NFL where you have a handful of longtime starters who quite possibly are going to be released [like] Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray, Geno Smith, potentially Justin Fields, that one might be something that doesn't happen for a little bit here till closer to the draft, but that's a bunch of guys who have started a whole bunch.
...What the Vikings have to figure out is what is the sensible addition to that room, because they are not in any way giving up on J.J. McCarthy.
He hasn't had the time. Injuries have been a driving force of why he's not been on the field. It's hard to improve at the things you need to improve at, like all young quarterbacks, if you're not out there.
If you go to trade, let's say hypothetically, a second-round pick for Mac Jones, it's pretty clear Mac Jones is your starting quarterback.
So you've got to find that balance between getting someone in who's really going to push him and not expending a ton of resources to do it.
So, one of those quarterbacks that's got guaranteed money that the Vikings could pay the minimum, if and when he's released, and they would probably have dibs on those guys because everyone wants to play quarterback in Minnesota, that, if I had to guess, would be the direction that I would think it would end up going."
QB search for Minnesota Vikings still expected to center around helping J.J. McCarthy
In addition, Pelissero also added that he "[does not] foresee Aaron Rodgers ending up in Minnesota" this offseason, and free-agent quarterback Malik Willis is likely "going to be out of the price range for the Vikings."
So, basically, the signal-caller Minnesota adds this year is likely going to be from the group of veterans that includes Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray, and Geno Smith, who are all expected to be released from their current lucrative contracts in the near future.
We can safely assume the Vikings won't have any interest in Tagovailoa, considering who Minnesota's defensive coordinator currently is. But Cousins, Murray, and Smith are all guys that the Vikings are probably going to seriously consider adding this offseason.
Between the three, Murray has the most upside, Cousins will probably find a way to be the most expensive, and Smith is someone who has multiple traits that fit well in an O'Connell offense.
There could be some other signal-callers who become available during the next few weeks, but at this point in time, it feels like someone from the trio of Murray, Cousins, and Smith will join McCarthy inside Minnesota's quarterback room this offseason.