Kyler Murray leads, but a veteran and a former top pick jockey for position. Discover the Minnesota QB hierarchy and who plays if Murray falters.
There's a popular phrase about the quarterback position in football circles: If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.
The assumption is that if you're not settled at the quarterback position, you must not really have a quality option in the first place. A look at the late 1980s San Francisco 49ers with Joe Montana and Steve Young quickly disproves that notion, but in some instances there's truth in that narrative.
The Vikings have three quarterbacks, but for now it seems there's really only one true starter. That player is Kyler Murray, who the team signed to a one-year contract. There's one slight potential problem with the notion that the Vikings' quarterback position is settled: Minnesota has two other former Top 10 draft picks, and both of them will be paid more by the Vikings than Murray is paid.
It is well documented that Minnesota was able to get away with a discount for Murray because of the unique circumstances in which Murray was signed. The Vikings added the star player after he was cut by the Arizona Cardinals, who are still on the hook for his second contract that recognized him as a franchise quarterback.
In reality, Murray will make way more than newly re-signed Carson Wentz and third-year player J.J. McCarthy. He just won't make it from the Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) throws the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn ImagesA couple of questions naturally follow the signing of Carson Wentz. The first is, will there be a legitimate chance for all three quarterbacks to win the quarterback job?
As is true with any position, all roles are up for grabs if a player asserts himself above the competition. With this position group, some players may have to prove themselves unequivocally better than the competition.
The signing of Murray hints at one thing: Murray is your quarterback for 2026. The Vikings made too much of an effort to bring him in after already seeing what Wentz and McCarthy brought to the offense last season. Really, it's an admission that the other quarterbacks did not take hold of the position. Otherwise, Minnesota would not have tried so hard to add the former Cardinals quarterback.
Then the question becomes where the other two quarterbacks tier in the depth chart, and, by extension, if McCarthy will stay on the depth chart or be traded.
The logical conclusion is that the Vikings will bring McCarthy back for another season given they will be on more solid footing with three quarterback options than two. The Vikings are not necessarily giving up on McCarthy. They're just not counting on him to be the starter in 2026.
But who goes into the game if Murray is out? That's the big question.
Circumstances may dictate which way the team turns. However, it's not impossible to rule out that a playoff contending Minnesota team could turn to Wentz to do what another veteran quarterback named Nick Foles did when Wentz's MVP season came to a halt in 2017.
Foles, of course, came in to relieve an injured Wentz and took the Eagles on an unprecedented playoff run. The Vikings will have Wentz available to take the team on a similar run should they need to do so.
Regardless of who ends up becoming the No. 2 quarterback in Minnesota, the Vikings have options. And now with a complete quarterback room, the team is now set up to return to its 2024 form and reach the playoffs.