Vikings ‘exploring all possibilities’ at QB as NFL scouting combine gets underway

INDIANAPOLIS — The Vikings enter their offseason in search of a “baseline” level of quarterback play that’s higher than what they had in 2025. J.J. McCarthy, coach Kevin O’Connell said on Tuesday, Feb. 24, is still capable of meeting that standard.

But as the Vikings began their offseason in earnest at the NFL scouting combine, they indicated they had no interest in limiting their options to fill their most pressing need.

Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski said Tuesday the Vikings are “exploring all possibilities” at quarterback, including even an established player who would join the team as the unquestioned starter.

“What we do know is we need a level of baseline quarterback play for us to be effective,” Brzezinski said. “A lot of this is, has been J.J. in an unfortunate [situation] with some of the injuries and things that he’s dealt with. But we’re going to explore every opportunity. We can’t manufacture what’s not there. So, number one, where are the options? Is it reciprocal? Is it financially doable? All of those things. There’s just a lot of factors that go into it."

Brzezinski, who’s leading the Vikings front office this offseason after the team fired General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Jan. 30, said some of the criticism of McCarthy — who missed seven games because of injury in his first year as the starter while throwing 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions — has been unfair.

When asked if he still believes McCarthy can be a franchise quarterback, O’Connell said, “I believe the answer to that question is ‘yes,’” referencing the comments he’d first made about McCarthy’s potential after the QB tore his meniscus in 2024.

But even though “a lot of those feelings [about McCarthy] are still the same,” O’Connell acknowledged the Vikings’ timeline has changed. The team spent more cash than any club in the NFL in 2025 to surround McCarthy with a veteran roster; a veteran roster means the Vikings seem less inclined to display unlimited patience with the 23-year-old. “We have a responsibility, as we put together this team, to make sure we use the data we have and the experiences we have, with feelings that we’ve had at different times as an organization, regardless what may have been the assumption of going in,” O’Connell said.

For McCarthy to claim the job again in 2026, he’ll have to show he can stay on the field after missing time with a high ankle sprain, a concussion and multiple hand injuries in 2025. He’ll also have to improve his accuracy, particularly on the concepts the Vikings like to run over the middle of the field, and demonstrate sound decision-making that helps the offense sustain drives.

The Vikings could try to coax that improvement out of him in a more open QB competition than they had in 2025; O’Connell pointed out how well McCarthy responded in his rookie training camp while practicing with Darnold in 2024.

They could also take a bigger swing, possibly through a trade, for an established starter who would change their future at quarterback. Such a maneuver would come at a cost, especially for a team that needs to clear roughly $40 million in cap space before free agency begins in less than two weeks.

But on Tuesday, the Vikings seemed open to any solution that would turn the game’s most important position into an asset again.