After the preseason finale, the Vikings dumped two of the three quarterbacks behind starter J.J. McCarthy. They’ve added Carson Wentz.
So here’s the question: Is the trade of Sam Howell, the release of Brett Rypien, and the signing of Wentz the end or the beginning?
Quarterbacks will be available this week. Wentz may have been a bird-in-the-hand option. Having him on the roster makes the Vikings seem less desperate, if there’s a potential trade to be made with a team that has a surplus at the position.
The Browns have too many. The Giants have too many. The Bills arguably don’t need both Mitch Trubisky and Mike White.
However it goes, quarterbacks will be available this week. The Vikings could be eyeballing one or more of them.
One of the biggest factors regarding Wentz’s potential tenure in Minnesota is the financial commitment made, or not made, by Minnesota. If he signed a deal for the veteran minimum with no guarantees, they’ll have a window to move on before Week 1.
Regardless, it’s currently Wentz and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer behind McCarthy. And the Vikings need to feel good about the next man up, in the event McCarthy becomes the next man down. At some point.
The Vikings made official the release of backup quarterback Brett Rypien.
The Vikings traded Sam Howell, signed free agent Carson Wentz and now have moved on from Rypien, turning over their quarterback room behind J.J. McCarthy. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer was the second-best quarterback in training camp.
The team also released outside linebacker Cam Gill after signing him Aug. 13.
Gill entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Buccaneers following the 2020 draft. He appeared in 40 regular-season games for the Bucs from 2020-23, totaling 29 tackles, 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. Gill played in eight playoff games for Tampa Bay, including Super Bowl LV when he recorded two tackles and split a sack on just three defensive snaps.
In 2024, Gill played 10 games for the Panthers.
The Vikings also announced they waived cornerback Reddy Steward, cornerback Keenan Garber, running back Tre Stewart, safety Mishael Powell, offensive tackle Logan Brown, offensive lineman Zack Bailey, wide receiver Silas Bolden, wide receiver Robert Lewis and defensive lineman Travis Bell.
The moves place Minnesota’s current active roster at 79 players, including International Player Pathway participant Oscar Chapman.
All NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Days after Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell declared the competition for the backup quarterback job to be open, he made his decision.
None of the above.
Sunday’s surprising-but-not decision to sign Wentz and trade Sam Howell represents an admission by the Vikings that they should have just signed Wentz in the first place, and not traded for Howell. Wentz arrives cold; if he’d been signed in April, he would have had the benefit of the offseason program, training camp, and the preseason.
Still, the Vikings could have doubled down on a bad decision to tentatively make Howell the No. 2 to J.J. McCarthy. They didn’t.
With Brett Rypien also getting the heave-ho, only undrafted rookie Max Brosmer did enough to earn a spot on the team. For now. Brosmer could end up being cut by Tuesday and, if he clears waivers, signed to the practice squad.
Wentz once was a rising star, and he was on track during only his second season to be the NFL’s MVP. A torn ACL opened the door for Nick Foles to propel the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl win. Wentz remained in Philly through 2020, getting a second contract along the way.
He thereafter started for Indianapolis in 2021, and Washington in 2022. By 2023, his days as a starter had ended. He arrived in L.A. with the Rams for a late-season cup of coffee. Last year, Wentz signed with the Chiefs in early April and served as the backup to Patrick Mahomes.
This year, Wentz had no serious interest early in the offseason. Now, he has a chance to be one snap away from playing football for one of the top quarterback gurus in the game.
The Vikings are continuing to make changes to their quarterback room ahead of the start of the 2025 season.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they will release Brett Rypien as they move toward setting their initial 53-man roster by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline. The team signed Carson Wentz and traded Sam Howell to the Eagles earlier in the day.
Rypien spent most of last season on the Vikings’ active roster, but he was cut when they promoted Daniel Jones from the practice squad for their playoff loss to the Rams. He returned to the practice squad and remained with the team throughout this offseason.
Wentz is set to be the backup to J.J. McCarthy. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer is also on the roster, although it remains to be seen if that will be the case once all of Minnesota’s moves are done.
The Vikings have solidified their No. 2 quarterback with someone new.
According to multiple reports, Minnesota has traded quarterback Sam Howell to Philadelphia and signed Carson Wentz to back up J.J. McCarthy.
Wentz had a tryout with the Vikings over the weekend.
Philadelphia is sending Minnesota a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Howell, a 2022 fifth-round pick, has now been traded three times in his young career. He’s entering the final season of his rookie contract after spending his first two years with Washington. He started all 17 games for the club in 2023, finishing with the league lead in attempts (612), interceptions (21), and sacks taken (65).
Howell spent last season with the Seahawks, appearing in two games. He was traded to Minnesota in April.
Wentz, 32, spent the 2024 season with the Chiefs backing up Patrick Mahomes. He started the regular-season finale against the Chargers, as Kansas City had already locked up the AFC’s No. 1 seed. He completed 12-of-19 passes for 118 yards in his three appearances.
Since ending 2020 with the Eagles, Wentz — the No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 draft — has bounced around, spending the last four seasons with the Colts, Commanders, Rams, and Chiefs.
