At the close of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings could select five draft picks and sign 20 undrafted free agents to the roster, with the debates beginning on who will make an impact.
Minnesota finished with three offensive selections and two defensive players in the draft. It was split on who they signed after the draft, with 11 offensive players, eight defensive players, and one special-teams player.
The one undrafted player that caught the attention of the Vikings fanbase was former Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer. Minnesota signed Brosmer on a deal that included $250,000 guaranteed, according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
Brosmer and the recent acquisition of Sam Howell in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks give the Vikings some much-needed relief at quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy and Brett Rypien after all the Aaron Rodgers talk in the offseason. There is still a three-way battle for the backup job in Minnesota. Don't count out Brosmer as a legit option as the backup to McCarthy.
Why Max Brosmer has a legit shot at being J.J. McCarthy's backup for the Minnesota Vikings in 2025
In his only season with the Golden Gophers last year, Brosmer broke the school record for completions in a season with 268. He added 2,828 yards and 18 touchdowns to just six interceptions with five additional touchdowns on the ground.
Brosmer was a star at New Hampshire for his previous five seasons. In 2023, he was named a Second-team Associated Press FCS All-American. That same season, he was second in the FCS in passing yards (3,464) and passing touchdowns (29).
Success in college doesn't always translate to success in the NFL, but Brosmer has plenty going for him that could separate him from the rest of the pack.
Wise Beyond His Years
Brosmer has been playing in college since 2019 and enters the Vikings at 24. He suffered an ACL injury in 2021 that cost him the season and gave him an extra year of eligibility. His transfer to Minnesota last year also bought him another season to develop his game.
That experience is advantageous for Brosmer as he learned to play in different offensive systems and proved he can be effective in many ways. While Howell and Rypien have been in the league for a while, Brosmer is not as young as most of the quarterback talent, which gives him an advantage over other prospects, as he has been able to see all kinds of defenses in his time.
Decision-Making on Throws
While Brosmer does not have the best accuracy with deep throws, his decision-making throughout college showed he won't put his team in bad positions. Last year, he only threw six interceptions and completed over 66 percent of his passes.
Comparing his numbers last year to Howell's and Rypien's last college seasons, Howell struggled to complete 62.5 percent of his passes at North Carolina, and Rypien was slightly better at 67.3 percent when playing for Boise State.
With Boise State not playing as many Power Five conference teams and the Tar Heels in the ACC, Brosmer proved that even though he jumped up from the FCS level to the Big Ten, he can still make all the right decisions.
Brosmer is good at short to intermediate throws and has the velocity to get the ball out of his hands quickly. That will be how he can separate himself from Howell and Rypien as well as be able to use his legs to make plays.
Kevin O'Connell's Recent Success in Developing Quarterbacks
The recent success of what Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell did for Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold should be more than enough to trust that he is a quarterback guru.
Cousins threw a career-high 4,547 yards in 2022 and was pacing for the best season of his career in 2023 before missing half the season with injury. Darnold revived his career in Minnesota last year, posting career-highs in completion percentage (66.2), yards (4,319), and touchdowns (35).
Even as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021, O'Connell helped Jared Goff's completion percentage to 67 percent, the highest of his career. He even helped Matthew Stafford post career-highs in completion percentage (67.2) and touchdowns (41).
There has not been a better coach to develop quarterbacks in the last five years than O'Connell. Brosmer can work on his game with O'Connell and improve some of its mechanical aspects. It also gives O'Connell someone to rely on to be the long-term backup or third string for years.