The Minnesota Vikings need some hope at quarterback after a dismal 4-7 start, with the Seattle Seahawks (8-3) and former Vikings star Sam Darnold on the horizon.
With second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy sidelined for the moment amid poor play, the Vikings look set to turn to undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers last year. Brosmer will get a big test for his first NFL start against the Seahawks’ top-tier defense and the rabid 12th Man fanbase at Lumen Field, and Star Tribune columnist Michael Rand sees some waves ahead if Brosmer steps up big and leads the Vikings to a win in Week 13.
“If Brosmer produces a genuinely good game, we will all probably overreact to a small sample size. It’s human nature. Vikings fans are so desperate for some good news that they will want to build a Brosmer statue,” Rand wrote.
That’s the desperation of the Vikings fan base after the team let go of Kirk Cousins in 2024 and then Darnold in 2025, followed by McCarthy’s collapse as a first-year starter. In six games, McCarthy has a completion rate of 54.1% for 929 yards, six touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
1 Fan Base ‘Will Lose Their Minds’ If Max Brosmer Plays Well
Enter Brosmer, who has local ties as a former Golden Gopher, and could spark the team and fan base. Brosmer completed 66.5% of his passes for 2,828 yards and 18 touchdowns verses six interceptions with the Gophers last year after his solid career at FCS New Hampshire.
“One thing I really like about Brosmer is that he threw the ball a lot in college. Between New Hampshire and one year with the Gophers, Brosmer had more than twice as many pass attempts (1,628 vs. 713) than McCarthy,” Rand wrote. “He has seen more coverages. He’s felt more rushes. He’s gone through more progressions quickly.”
“If Brosmer has a good game, Gophers fans will lose their minds.,” Rand added. “Outside of Spergon Wynn (who threw one career pass for the Gophers before transferring) and Mike Hohensee (who started two games as a replacement player during the 1987 strike), it is believed no other former Gopher has started an NFL game at QB.”
That includes the bigger former Gopher names such as Tony Dungy, Adam Weber, Cory Sauter, and Mike Hohensee.
Vikings QB Controversy Ahead?
Brosmer would need to produce at a high level to unseat McCarthy, but there is historical precedent for a late-round pick or undrafted free agent to beat out the starter after an injury.
“It would give the Vikings a dilemma going forward if Brosmer plays well,” Rand wrote. It would hardly be a final verdict. McCarthy is their primary investment.”
The Vikings picked McCarthy with the No. 10 selection in 2024 as Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons. Then, the Vikings didn’t hand Darnold a big contract after he lead the team to a 14-3 record in 2024 with McCarthy sidelined due to meniscus tear surgery.
“They believed enough in his trajectory to make him the starter on a team with Super Bowl hopes,” Rand wrote about Brosmer. “They kept Brosmer on the bench when Carson Wentz’s arm was hanging by a thread. But it does seem like Brosmer’s best traits (quick processing, playing with anticipation, good on intermediate throws) align with what (Kevin) O’Connell likes in a quarterback.”
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