Sure, the parallels between Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Max Brosmer and Brock Purdy are there.
After going undrafted, Brosmer has a chance to make some noise with first-round pick J.J. McCarthy likely sidelined in concussion protocol in Week 13 — just as Purdy did as a rookie when Trey Lance struggled to stay on the field in 2022.
However, unlike Purdy, who took the starting job and ran with it to an NFC title game, becoming the San Francisco 49ers‘ franchise quarterback, Brosmer doesn’t have the same outlook this season.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer addressed the Vikings quarterback situation for the rest of the Vikings’ schedule and appraised the actual runway Brosmer has to play in the NFL.
Vikings QB Max Brosmer Gets Bad News From NFL Insider Amid JJ McCarthy Injury News
As news surfaced that McCarthy is entering concussion protocol to start Week 13, Breer opined that he believes the Vikings will pivot back to McCarthy when he is healthy and available.
The reason? The Vikings’ quarterback situation looks uncertain after McCarthy’s historic struggles through his first six games. The Vikings need to get as clear a picture of McCarthy as possible entering the offseason, Breer says.
“I think that’s TBD, sorta depends on how J.J. (McCarthy) plays the rest of the year,” Breer said, addressing the Vikings’ quarterback situation in 2026. “They do want to see how he finishes the year out. They want to gather as much information as they possibly can on him. But I think the reality of it is they know they have a team that’s really good, and it should be in a spot to contend right now.
“J.J. hasn’t played well; there’s no sugarcoating that. I think J.J. has potential to be a good player, but clearly needs some more development… We’ll see if Max Brosmer winds up starting this week. They do think a lot of Brosmer; they wanted to get a look at Brosmer by the end of the year, so maybe that happens organically this week.”
Vikings Expected to Bring in Competition if McCarthy Can’t Turn Season Around
Brosmer may not be able to win the job this season, no matter his performance against the Seattle Seahawks this week.
While it’s been painful to watch McCarthy at times this season, changing course six games into his career would be a full admission (and premature) that he cannot be developed into an NFL quarterback — something O’Connell would not do at this stage of McCarthy’s career.
The season has become unsalvageable with the Vikings at the bottom of the NFC North.
However, Brosmer’s performance could make him a strong candidate to compete with McCarthy for the starting job next season if McCarthy cannot win the job outright.
“Either way, I think that for the future, the Vikings want to have a more complete view of J.J. McCarthy,” Breer said. “If he keeps playing the way that he is right now, I would say at the very least he would have competition in there for the job in 2026, which is sorta how they intended it to be in 2025, when they were looking at bringing Daniel Jones back on a one-year deal, and Sam Darnold back on a one-year deal.”
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