QB · MIN · 25 yrs · exp 1 · Minnesota
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Latest: Sep 5, 2026 · 458
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Quarterback Max Brosmer has cleared waivers and will return to the Minnesota Vikings on their practice squad after being waived on Monday. He played in seven games with two starts as a rookie last year
Drops: Max Brosmer
Vikings waive QB Max Brosmer, could be brought back on practice squad
Vikings keep four quarterbacks on 53-man roster, waive several players
J.J. McCarthy makes Vikings' 53-man roster, won't start Week 1
J.J. McCarthy will not play for the Vikings in their preseason finale due to an ankle injury
J.J. McCarthy’s ankle, Max Brosmer’s tape, and Friday’s roster auditions in Denver dominate The Real Forno Show as Tyler Forness and Dave Stefano preview Minnesota’s last exhibition. Tyler opened with the only question that still moves the building: will McCarthy play Friday at 8 p.m. CT against the Broncos? He missed Wednesday so the deltoid […]
J.J. McCarthy's hold on backup QB spot in jeopardy due to poor preseason performance
J.J. McCarthy won’t be starting at quarterback for the Vikings in Week 1 of the regular season, but he will probably be starting their second preseason game. The Vikings are wrapping up a second day of joint practices with the Ravens on Thursday and head coach Kevin O’Connell said that Kyler Murray will be among the starters who sit out Saturday’s home game as a result. O’Connell said that McCarthy is “ more than likely ” going to get the call to open the game in Murray’s place. O’Connell named Murray the team’s starter over a week ago and said this week that McCarthy is currently No. 2 on the depth chart, but added that he wants “those guys feeling like they’re competing .” Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer are the other backup options on the roster in Minnesota. This isn’t where most people thought McCarthy would be after the Vikings traded up to take him in the first round of the 2024 draft, but the path for him to wind up as the starter for the Vikings at any point is to keep turning in solid work and bide his time until injury or ineffectiveness offers him another chance to prove himself in meaningful games
Dan Campbell discusses the Lions' playoff chances and the importance of depth in the 2026 season
J.J. McCarthy is currently listed as the Vikings' backup quarterback behind Kyler Murray, but coach Kevin O'Connell emphasizes competition within the QB room, including Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer. McCarthy played 17 snaps in the preseason opener, completing 4 of 7 passes for 34 yards with no points scored on his drives
T.J. Hockenson's potential as a TE2 option despite past injuries and quarterback issues
Vikings backup quarterback Carson Wentz played more than he had expected to play in Saturday’s preseason opener. He played two series of the second half before turning over the reins to Max Brosmer. Brosmer, though, lasted only three plays late in the third quarter. The fourth-string quarterback went 1-for-2 for 6 yards before leaving with a right thumb injury. Wentz returned and played the fourth quarter in the Vikings’ 13-10 win. “We wanted to be smart with that [injury to Brosmer],” coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game, via video from the team. “We’ll obviously image that. Don’t have anything on that yet, but as much as he wanted to go back in the game, we just wanted to be sure that he didn’t have anything in there, and Carson was able to come back in there.”
Sleeper status change for Max Brosmer (12775). Before: status=Active, injury_status=—. After: status=Active, injury_status=Questionable
Throughout last summer, there was enough concern around the Minnesota Vikings organization about J.J. McCarthy being the team's starting quarterback that some players and staffers actually viewed Max Brosmer -- an undrafted rookie -- as being better prepared to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter. It wasn't because Brosmer was more talented. That clearly wasn't the case. It was largely due to other important parts of being an NFL starting quarterback such as managing a team, commanding the huddle and -- as one source shared with CBS Sports -- McCarthy being "unpredictable" on a daily basis in addition to the obvious on-field growing pains with the No. 10 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft . "A franchise quarterback is supposed to be the stability piece of a franchise, like you know what you're getting every day," a source said. "But with J.J., you weren't sure which version you were going to get. I think he's just still so young and may not have understood yet what that position fully entails and things like the consistency and day-to-day commitment." Now, one year later and days removed from Kyler Murray being named as the Vikings' new starting quarterback, one of the natural questions becomes: What's next for McCarthy? The answer: Despite finishing with the second-worst quarterback rating among NFL quarterbacks with more than 155 pass attempts, there are at least some NFL coaches and front office staffers not yet ready to completely write off the former University of Michigan star, especially factoring in that he's only 23 and has been consistently set back by injuries his first two NFL seasons. After missing his rookie year due to a knee injury, he dealt with multiple injuries last season, including a high-ankle sprain that caused him to miss five games. "He is talented," a defensive coach said. "If he can learn how to manage a game and not do too much and not do more than what's required of him, I still think he can be a starter." In his 10 starts last year, McCarthy finished with more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11) and only twice posted more than 182 passing yards. During a November loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota had eight false-start penalties. That's tied for the second-most false starts by a home team in a single game since 2000. "Just looked last year like a young player who was still trying to find his confidence," an NFL front office official said. "His accuracy was a little bit inconsistent. Was more of in a developmental state of how he played. Took a lot of sacks too. You saw the frame, the athlete and a good throwing motion, but it was just more like he probably needed more time on task." Naturally, some NFL teams have studied and gathered feedback on McCarthy in recent months in case he becomes available at some point, especially with many in league circles expecting since Murray signed with the Vikings in March for the 2019 No. 1 overall pick to end up winning Minnesota's starting quarterback job. The takeaways for some of those teams is that McCarthy may be more likely to end up as a Zach Wilson or Trey Lance -- early first-round picks who have become backup players -- than he is to become a Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield -- early first-round picks who are now thriving with new teams after overcoming struggles earlier in their careers. "He's probably a little bit distinguishable from like a Darnold or from a Baker in that those guys, to me, prior to like wandering in the wilderness, had shown more," an NFL front office official said. "They had had stretches that looked at a level that probably made you a little bit more comfortable betting on this being an outcome down the road. "The other difference maybe between J.J. and those guys -- Darnold in New York and Carolina, Baker in Cleveland or a Geno Smith in New York -- is the context of those situations I think would be viewed as unfavorable -- bad teams, bad offenses, etc. I don't think people viewed Minnesota going into las [... truncated ...]
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson did not suddenly stop being an elite dynasty asset because 2025 went sideways. The touchdowns vanished. He scored only twice, and Minnesota cycled through J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer while Jefferson finished with 84 catches for 1,048 yards on 141 targets. It was his worst full season, yet he still cleared 1,000 yards for the sixth time in six years. One season earlier, he posted 103 receptions, 1,533 yards, and 10 scores. The quarterback question remains, with McCarthy and Kyler Murray headed for a camp battle, while Jauan Jennings joins Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson in a deeper group of pass-catchers. None of that changes the larger point. Jefferson turned 27 in June, remains under contract through 2028, and sits fourth in RotoBaller's dynasty wide receiver rankings. He will cost plenty. For a contender with depth to spare, though, this is the rare moment to see whether a frustrated manager will move him. Rebuilders should hold unless the return includes another cornerstone asset
Drops: Max Brosmer
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison had a season to forget in 2025. After missing the first three games of the year due to a suspension, the 24-year-old finished the season with 42 catches for 610 yards and three touchdowns on 79 targets. Addison was a victim of the Vikings' brutal quarterback play in 2025, as the team received below-average production from signal-callers J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Minnesota brought in veteran quarterback Kyler Murray over the offseason, who should at least provide the team's passing game with more stability in 2026. The Vikings also signed wide receiver Jauan Jennings in free agency, so Addison has some significant target competition between Jennings and superstar wideout Justin Jefferson. Still, Addison finished the 2024 season as the WR24 by measure of per-game PPR scoring. With his current ADP of WR42 in redraft leagues, Addison carries sleeper value into 2026
Vikings 53-man roster projection, part 1: offense
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