Neal: Welcome to the show, Max Brosmer

Next up: MB12.

Max Brosmer — the former New Hampshire Wildcat, former Minnesota Golden Gopher, the undrafted free agent and unexpected backup — will ascend to QB1 when he starts against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

And I hope it’s the first of multiple starts by him before the season is over.

I’m not anointing Brosmer as the new quarterback of the future over J.J. McCarthy.

McCarthy, whose placement in concussion protocol created this opportunity for Brosmer, still deserves that title. The poor guy might be in the middle of a lost season, as a high ankle sprain and a concussion mixed in with stretches of miserable quarterback play have made the Vikings’ decision to put the ball in his hands following a 14-win season highly questionable.

When McCarthy recovers, he needs his reps.

But the Vikings owe it to themselves to give Brosmer some reps as well.

McCarthy’s awful performance has created this opening.

Even with Brosmer having thrown just eight NFL passes, he deserves a timeshare with McCarthy over the remaining six games.

Here are a few reasons why:

At 4-7, the Vikings have less than 1% chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Even if they miraculously won their remaining six games, a 10-7 record doesn’t guarantee them a berth. Seattle went 10-7 last season and missed the postseason, for instance. And the NFC is top-heavy once again, as the 7-5 Lions would not be in the bracket if the playoffs were held today.

With that not being realistic, it is time for the Vikings to give Brosmer and McCarthy opportunities to develop.

And Brosmer couldn’t have drawn a more challenging assignment: In one of the NFL’s more hostile environments in Seattle and against one of the better defenses.

“There’s going to be ups and downs,” Brosmer said on Friday, “but it’s about mental resiliency for the game.”

The Vikings have spoken highly of how Brosmer has prepared and carried himself during his rookie season. And head coach Kevin O’Connell has noticed growth from the first time Brosmer walked through the doors at the TCO Performance Center.

“This has been something that really dates back to, you know, training camp and just watching the way he was able to efficiently run our offense, no matter who he was in the huddle with,” O’Connell said Friday, “and I think our veteran guys, the guys in that first huddle, have seen it over and over again.

“But then to have him command the huddle the way he did this week, not sure ball hit the ground today, just with the efficiency at which we were operating and throwing and guys were flying around.

The same optimism has been expressed about McCarthy based on how he practiced. It’s been another thing when he stepped on the field against another team. Let’s get Brosmer on the field to see how he processes situations at game speed and faces opposing defenses.

Players have been complimentary when asked about Brosmer, as if they also want to see what he can do.

McCarthy was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and first-round picks generally are given a long leash to prove themselves.

But Tony Romo and Kurt Warner were undrafted free agents. Folks in my age range will remember Dave Krieg, Erik Kramer and Jake Delhomme — also undrafted free agents.

Good, and sometimes great, quarterbacks fall through the cracks, and Brosmer has a chance to prove he is one of them. He sounded confident and prepared on Friday when he met with reporters. All eyes — especially those from Gophers Nation — will be on him Sunday.