The Minnesota Vikings swapped Sam Howell for Carson Wentz in a series of moves just three days before final roster cuts — and they may not be done just yet.
On Sunday, the Vikings traded Howell and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder, according to ESPN. The Vikings agreed to terms with Wentz in a subsequent move after he worked out with the team on Saturday.
With the 53-man roster deadline set for Tuesday, August 26, Minnesota has four quarterbacks in-house: J.J. McCarthy, Max Brosmer, Brett Rypien and Wentz.
The pecking order of the depth chart will likely place Wentz as QB2 to start the year. Meanwhile, Brosmer, an undrafted rookie, has exceeded expectations. The Vikings may not want to risk exposing Brosmer to waivers to sneak him onto the practice squad.
That leaves a strong likelihood that Minnesota keeps three quarterbacks on the roster — McCarthy, Wentz and Brosmer — and parts ways with Rypien, last year’s practice-squad and emergency quarterback who has a 2-2 career record in his four-year career.
In this case, Wentz provides a veteran presence to the Vikings as the only quarterback who has played in a regular-season game (a 47-46-1 career record) entering the season.
Meanwhile, Brosmer can continue to develop in practice this season.
Vikings Signing Carson Wentz Doesn’t Count out Max Brosmer as QB2… Eventually
Wentz’s arrival comes just two weeks before the Vikings’ season opener against the Chicago Bears.
That’s not a lot of time for Wentz to be ready to be the immediate backup to McCarthy, but the signing signals that will be his role early in the season.
But that doesn’t discount the potential that Brosmer could eventually take over if need be.
Brosmer is coming off his best performance to date with the team, completing 15 of 23 pass attempts for 161 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the Vikings’ preseason finale on August 22.
“Max once again showed some of the things he’s shown us throughout camp,” O’Connell said after the game. “Good decision maker, made some plays, buying a little time with his legs, converting some third downs via some tight completions. I had high expectations for him. One of those things where we went into the draft with him being a guy that we really, really liked throughout the process.
“He was local, we had a chance to see him throw twice at the Pro Day there, at the U, and then just hosted him on a visit. And just getting to know him felt like a great fit,” O’Connell added. “He’s one of those guys that can go out and apply the thinking really fast as he progresses through our system and through games, so his ownership of really not getting a lot of reps early – didn’t get a lot of work in the spring – to be able to hit the ground in the way he did with his opportunities, and training camp gave him more opportunities, culminating with tonight, getting the chance to start the last preseason game.”
Vikings Are All-in on J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy’s readiness to be the Vikings’ starter has been the talking point all offseason amid Aaron Rodgers rumors, Kirk Cousins reunion pitches and other calls to trade for a proven veteran.
While Wentz has plenty of experience, he was unsigned at this stage of the offseason for a reason. The Vikings could have waited to see what backups would become available on waivers or pushed for a trade in three days but opted to fortify the quarterback room with Wentz.
However, this latest move is another signal the Vikings are all-in on McCarthy — bear it need repeating once more.
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