Forget No. 1. Who will be Vikings' No. 2 guy?

PALM BEACH, FLA.

The Vikings' backup quarterback in 2008 will be:

A) Gus Frerotte

B) Sage Rosenfels

C) A yet-to-be drafted rookie.

(Yes, we're making the dramatic assumption that Tarvaris Jackson is the starter and that Brooks Bollinger is not No. 2, given the team's continued attempts to acquire someone else to fill that role.)

Of those possibilities, who is your favorite? The Vikings' top choice is clear: Rosenfels. In fact, they made him one of their top offseason priorities and considered his acquisition no less important than that of receiver Bernard Berrian or safety Madieu Williams.

The Vikings offered Houston a third-round draft pick in the hopes of acquiring him just before the free-agent period began. Talks stalled when the Texans asked for a second-round pick, but there is a general feeling among NFL people that the teams could re-enter those discussions as early as this week, when all 32 teams gather here for the league's annual meetings.

Publicly, not enough attention has been spent on the significance in the difference of entering 2008 with Rosenfels and without him. If they snag him, the Vikings will have finally accomplished a project three years in the making: finding a veteran backup who knows the West Coast offense and has demonstrated an ability to win games as a short-term starter.

If not, they will have little to no alternative if they want to elevate depth. Jackson could minimize the problem by proving to be the Vikings' long-term answer, but if he falters or is injured, the Vikings would find themselves in an all-too-familiar place in 2008.

Frerotte's next contract will mark his seventh team change in the past 11 years, and it is worth noting that he remains available in a free-agent market that scooped up the likes of Cleo Lemon and Josh McCown within days of its opening.

Beyond Frerotte, the Vikings' only alternative is to follow their pattern of the past two seasons: draft a quarterback and then start bottom-feeding at the end of the preseason. That's how they ended up with Bollinger, for whom they gave up defensive tackle C.J. Mosley and a seventh-round pick, in 2006. And that's how Kelly Holcomb arrived, via a sixth-round pick, in August.

Presumably, the Vikings have realized this approach was not ideal for building depth at the most important position in football. Bollinger needed a month of regular-season games before he was mentally prepared to back up Brad Johnson, and last summer he did not play well enough to earn even the No. 2 job.

And Holcomb didn't have enough time to learn the offense before he was put on the field, and has been released.

In each case, the Vikings were forced to continue using their starter longer than they wanted to -- Johnson in 2006 and Jackson last season -- in part because they didn't trust the backup situation.

All told, the Vikings have devoted five draft picks over two years to solidify the quarterback position. And yet, as of today, it looks as though they'll have to make it at least six, again presuming Jackson is their long-term answer at starter.

Either they will give up a second- or third-round pick for Rosenfels, or the Vikings almost certainly will have to draft a quarterback themselves next month.

What is the preferable scenario? By far -- at least for a team with playoff aspirations -- it is to do whatever it takes to get Rosenfels.

Buffalo's J.P. Losman is another veteran who might be available via trade, but Rosenfels is widely known as a strong character player (he's an Iowan, after all) and a perfect fit for the West Coast offense. Those two characteristics haven't often been associated with Losman.

Rosenfels won four of five starts in 2007, after replacing injured starter Matt Schaub, and in seven NFL seasons he has a sturdy 82.0 passer rating. The Texans are said to be sticking hard to their demand of a second-round pick, but they did hedge their bets this month by signing free agent Quinn Gray -- nominally their No. 3 quarterback, but someone who could back up Schaub if needed.

A second-round draft pick is a hefty price for a backup player. But the Vikings don't need to be reminded how important a position it is.

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com