We are now in the meat and potatoes section of Becoming the GM! In today’s edition, we are starting our deep dives of every position on the roster, starting with the most important one: Quarterback. This is expected to be a very fluid room this offseason, and with me at the helm, it won’t be as fluid. We have a few plans in place, and we will go over every single scenario.
Let’s start with what doesn’t need to be said: Max Brosmer is cut. We discussed it before, so we won’t spend much time on this. But we already know what we have, and it’s not good. He is not worthy to start for an XFL squad, so cutting ties with a UDFA is a no-brainer. John Wolford and Brett Rypien are both off the roster, too.
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Carson Wentz is a pending free agent, and we will try to get him back at near the veteran minimum, which is roughly $1.3 million. He’s someone who did not play poorly at all in spot starts for J.J. McCarthy this year, and he could provide much-needed knowledge and veteran presence in this room, especially for some of the scenarios we’ll discuss. Speaking of…
Scenario #1: Trade for Anthony Richardson
We know that Kevin O’Connell was high on Anthony Richardson coming out, and they even shared that moment at midfield after a game in 2024. Richardson, a former fourth overall pick, has struggled similarly to McCarthy in the NFL, but there is one major difference: upside. Richardson’s ceiling is near Josh Allen, and joining a new system with a coach who works well with quarterbacks could be massive for him. We are bringing him in to push McCarthy in camp. Ideally, this trade would be a 2027 5th-round pick, and we will eat the cap hit.
Scenario #2: Trade for Mac Jones
Mac Jones would transition seamlessly from Kyle Shanahan’s offense to O’Connell’s. Jones flourished this season while starting in place of Brock Purdy (some might say he even played better at times), and has more than earned a second shot in the NFL. Jones was drafted 15th overall to New England back in 2021, but has bounced around before landing in San Francisco last offseason on a two-year deal. He gets a fair shot to earn a starting job in camp, and if he thrives, we talk extension after the year is over. Let’s try to get this done for a 2026 4th round pick, but we could go as high as a 3rd.
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Scenario #3: Trade for Joe Burrow
Now we’re talking. This team had no right to finish 9-8 this season, but they are close, and what they are missing is a quarterback. There just so happens to be a very disgruntled signal caller in Cincinnati who could use a change of scenery. Yes, Joe Burrow’s injury history is a concern, but with a better, more offense-minded coach, strong weapons, and an elite defense, the Vikings would immediately become a Super Bowl favorite.
Now, what makes this tough is trade value. We know that J.J. McCarthy is going to Cincinnati in this deal, but do we have to throw in another starter, probably on defense, to go with the two first-round picks? These are the two deals I am sending over:
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Cincinnati gets: J.J. McCarthy, Jonathan Greenard, 2026 1st, 2027 1st/ Minnesota gets: Joe Burrow
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Cincinnati gets: J.J. McCarthy, 2026 1st, 2027 1st, 2028 1st/ Minnesota gets: Joe Burrow
We can afford to move off Greenard. We got good sack production with him on the shelf this year, and with good EDGE depth in this class, we can load up on rookies. You immediately make Justin Jefferson happy again, and free agents are more likely to come here now that there is a real quarterback in place.
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Scenario #4: Sign Daniel Jones
Should Daniel Jones have left Minnesota when he was here? Maybe not. But, it is hard to ignore the career revival he had this season in Indianapolis before tearing his Achilles. He believes he will be ready by training camp and will definitely push McCarthy, and he has a very good chance of winning the job. If we go down the Jones route, we must invest in a starting running back and beef up the offensive line, both of which are doable. The only issue is finding a number to land on.
NFL teams might view Jones as a completely different player than his time in New York, and could throw starter money at him. However, coming off an Achilles injury and having only one full year of top-level production, it is a risk. We might get priced out of the Jones sweepstakes, but we are going to be a player for sure.
Scenario #5: Sign Malik Willis
A more reasonable signing might be Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis. Willis played well during his opportunities this season and could definitely get a look at a starting job this offseason. But if we can poach a player from a division rival, we are going to try to do just that.
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We are going to extend a 2-year/$25 million contract, with a player option for year two. This gives us cap flexibility, shows Willis we are serious about him coming in to compete for a starting spot, and, if he does well, allows him to opt out, with us rewarding him with an extension and finding a trade partner for J.J. McCarthy.
Out of these five scenarios, here is how I rank them in terms of what I want to do:
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Trade for Anthony Richardson
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Becoming the GM part four: The quarterback room for the Vikings