I am really enjoying the debate about the QB position. I guess I love the drama! It is too bad that JJ McCarthy has been injured for much of the last two seasons. It really has delayed his development and the team’s ability to determine his long term future. His performance on the field has been up and down which should have been expected. There are folks on both sides of the argument about if he will ever blossom into a competent NFL QB. It truly is unfortunate for the team and JJ that they do not have full confidence this next season. That is what I am led to believe based on the comments from KOC in his end of season press conference. He could have killed all the speculation that is going on right now by simply saying “JJ McCarthy will be our starting QB in 2026”. He basically said he wanted to bring in competition.
Now, we have endless stories about who the Vikings will bring in for competition. There are some fans who really are upset about this and do not know why others are talking about possibilities. They feel JJ should be the starter. Period. There are even some that do not care about wins and want to give him one last shot. They say if the team does bad they can draft another QB in 2027 because there will be a better QB class in the draft.
There are other fans who want different veterans most of which you would assume would be the starters. I do not see a Kyler Murray, Derek Carr, and Aaron Rodgers being the backup. The money that gets paid may determine who starts as well although I feel several QBs can win a straight up competition at this point.
Other options like Malik Willis, Geno Smith, and Kirk Cousins could probably win a competition. I am not sure any other player they bring in would win the competition. Joe Flacco, Marcus Mariota, Russell Wilson, Kenny Picket, Trey Lance, Tyrod Taylor, and Zach Wilson all should probably be backups to JJ. Maybe the first three can win a competition? But is it worth it?
I can live with any outcome. I present different scenarios to attempt to elicit intelligent debates. I like several options.
If the team is unable to land a BIG FISH (Burrow or Jackson) then I am good with Rodgers. I feel he would be perfect because it allows JJ to learn from him and take over in 2027. This way the team gets “competent” QB play (Rodgers did look good last year when he was not getting killed) AND they still have their QBOTF who would now have another season of learning and development under his belt. Maybe Cousins would be OK with one year?
Workout schedule
Thursday, February 26 (3 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET): Defensive linemen, linebackers, kickers
Friday, February 27 (3 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET): Defensive backs, tight ends
Saturday, February 28 (1 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET): Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs
Sunday, March 1 (1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET): Offensive linemen
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Note: when I google “Vikings News” these are the stories that come up (I do not link to other blogs very often). Don’t shoot the messenger.
In a perfect world, the Minnesota Vikings will add a quarterback to compete with second-year signal-caller J.J. McCarthy during 2026. But that could be easier said than done.
At least according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that could be the case.
Florio argued Saturday that if the Vikings are going to add serious competition for McCarthy this offseason, then the team has to be serious about having said competition.
“They want a veteran who’ll compete with J.J. McCarthy. That could make it harder to attract a veteran who’ll want a commitment that he’ll be QB1,” Florio wrote. “Based on McCarthy’s performance and durability in 2025, however, most veteran quarterbacks with reasonable confidence would believe they can win a fair and square competition.
“If they believe the competition will be both fair and square.”
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Maybe McCarthy will be better another year removed from the injury. But to seriously push him in a competition, the Vikings will have to convince free agents that they have a real chance to start instead of the 23-year-old in 2026.
Otherwise, the Vikings aren’t going to land a free agent quarterback any better than backup level. Or, the team will be forced to trade for a signal-caller, giving up assets to get real quarterback competition.
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Rodgers isn’t going to sign with a team where he isn’t starting. Wilson lost his starting job during the 2025 campaign.
Other pending free agent signal-callers next month could include Daniel Jones, Marcus Mariota, Zach Wilson, Tyrod Taylor, and Joe Flacco.
But as Florio argued, those quarterbacks being interested in the Vikings might depend on how likely they feel they could earn the starting job over McCarthy.
“Some trades would by definition signal a new starter, whether it’s a deal for the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray or even the rights to retired New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr, who recently said he would unretire for a shot at winning the Super Bowl. Any such discussions are likely to heat up during the combine next week, at which point O’Connell and Brzezinski likely will have decided if they are prepared to sideline McCarthy should the right deal presents itself.”
Vikings Reporter Kevin Seifert
Cap Stuff
Minnesota starts at $49M over the cap.
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Move : Action : 2026 Savings
Justin Jefferson : Max Restructure : +$19.6M
Christian Darrisaw : Max Restructure : +$11.0M
Jonathan Greenard : Max Restructure : +$12.9M
Brian O’Neill : 3-Year Extension : +$12.2M
T.J. Hockenson : Pre-June 1 Trade : +$8.9M
Will Fries : Restructure : +$9.3M
Blake Cashman : 2-Year Extension : +$3.7M
Andrew Van Ginkel : 2-Year Extension : +$10.1M
Strategic Cuts : Kelly, Hargrave, A. Jones : +$30.4M
Total Savings : +$118.1M
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The Derek Carr Trade & Contract (3 Years, $75M)
The Vikings acquire Carr from the Saints for a 2026 5th-round pick and receive a 7th-round pick.
Saints Retention: New Orleans restructures Carr’s contract before the trade to pay $15 million of his 2026 cash as a signing bonus, leaving them with a manageable dead cap hit.
The “Geno Smith” Redo: Minnesota tears up Carr’s inherited contract and signs him to a new 3-year, $75 million deal ($25M AAV) with $40 million fully guaranteed
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Reworked Derek Carr Contract
Total Value: $75,000,000
Signing Bonus: $15,000,000 (spread over 3 real years + 2 void years).
Guaranteed Cash: $41M (Bonus + Year 1 Salary + $10M of Year 2 Salary).
Year : Base Salary : Prorated Bonus : Incentives : Cap Hit : Cash Flow
2026 : $16,000,000 : $3,000,000 : $3,000,000 : $19,000,000 : $31,000,000
2027 : $20,000,000 : $3,000,000 : $5,000,000 : $23,000,000 : $20,000,000
2028 : $24,000,000 : $3,000,000 : $7,000,000 : $27,000,000 : $24,000,000
Void : $3,000,000
Void : $3,000,000
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If the team decides to part ways before the 2027 season (Pre-June 1):
Dead Money Absorption: $22.0 Million.
Calculation: $12M (remaining bonus proration) + $10M (guaranteed portion of 2027 salary).
Cap Savings: Releasing him would save $17.0 Million against the 2027 cap ($39M total hit vs $22M dead cap).
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To keep Derek Carr’s contract “fair” but protective of the Vikings’ cap, we’ve structured $15M in total incentives ($3M in 2026, $5M in 2027, and $7M in 2028).
These are typically classified as NLTBE (Not Likely To Be Earned) based on his injury-shortened/retired 2025, meaning they won’t count against your cap until he actually achieves them.
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2026 Incentives (Total: $3.0M)
Focus: Availability and Basic Efficiency
Playtime: $1.0M if he plays 75% or more of regular-season offensive snaps.
Efficiency: $1.0M if he finishes with a Passer Rating over 95.0 (his 2023 level).
Team Success: $1.0M if the Vikings make the Playoffs.
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2027 Incentives (Total: $5.0M)
Focus: Postseason Progression
Playtime: $1.0M for 80%+ snaps.
Pro Bowl: $1.0M for an Original Ballot Pro Bowl selection.
Playoff Wins: $1.5M for a Divisional Round win.
Conference Title: $1.5M for an NFC Championship appearance.
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2028 Incentives (Total: $7.0M)
Focus: Elite Performance & Super Bowl
Statistical Tier: $2.0M for 4,000+ Passing Yards and 30+ TDs.
MVP/All-Pro: $1.5M for NFL MVP or 1st Team All-Pro.
The Big One: $3.5M for a Super Bowl Win.
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Strategic Ramification: The “Cap Push”
Because these are NLTBE, the Vikings don’t have to “set aside” this $15M right now.
If he fails: You keep the cap space.
If he succeeds: The “bill” for these incentives hits your 2027 or 2028 cap as a “rollover” charge.
With your $74.2M in projected 2027 space (after the Jonathan Allen and Josh Metellus cuts), you can easily absorb a $3M “success tax” from 2026.
Final Verdict: This setup pays Carr like a Top 10 QB if he plays like one, but keeps him at a Bottom 10 price tag if he struggles or gets hurt again.
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Final Cap Health (2026 & 2027)
After clearing the initial deficit and signing Carr, the Vikings remain one of the most flexible teams in the league.
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Remaining 2026 Cap Space: ~$50.1 Million
Calculation: $118.1M (Savings) – $49M (Deficit) – $19M (Carr Hit) = ~$50.1M.
Remaining 2027 Cap Space: ~$67.5 Million (includes cut of Allen & Metellus)
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Player : 2026 Cap Hit : Contract Details
Travis Etienne (RB) : $4.8M : 3 yrs, $33.0M (Void Years Added)
Cade Mays (C) : $4.2M : 3 yrs, $36.0M (Void Years Added)
Logan Hall (DT) : $4.2M : 3 yrs, $27M (Void Year Added)
Nick Cross (S) : $3.2M : 3 yrs, $24.0M (Void Years Added)
Leo Chenal (LB) : $2.7M : 2 yrs, $12.0M (Void Year Added)
Kader Kohou (CB) : $3.5M : 1 yr, $3.5M (ACL “Prove-it”)
Noah Fant (TE) : $2.2M : 1 yr, $3.2M (Void Year Added)
Otito Ogbonnia (DT) : $2.1M : 2 yr, $7.0M
Benjamin St-Juste (CB) : $2.0M : 2 yrs, $7M
Jalen Tolbert (WR) : $2.0M : 1 yr, $2.0M
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Remaining 2026 Cap Space: ~$22.7 Million
Remaining 2027 Cap Space: ~$52.8 Million (includes $26.2M saved from cutting Jonathan Allen and Josh Metellus in 2027)
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Yore Mock
Trade Partner: CowboysSent: 1.18Received: 1.20, 4.112…Trade Partner: SteelersSent: 4.112Received: 4.121, 5.159…
Trade Partner: BroncosSent: TJ HockensonReceived: 4.130…
Pick 20 : TE Kenyon Sadiq Oregon 6’3” 235Pick 49 : CB D’angelo Ponds Indiana 5’8 1/4” 174Pick 82 : DL Darrell Jackson Jr. Florida State 6’5” 337Pick 97 : IOL Keylan Rutledge Georgia Tech 6’4” 320Pick 121 : WR Brenen Thompson Mississippi State 5’9” 170Pick 130 : S Michael Taafe Texas 6’0” 190Pick 159 : CB Ephesians Prysock Washington 6’2 7/8” 194Pick 161 : RB Kaelon Black Indiana 5’10” 210Pick 195 : OT Aamil Wagner Notre Dame 6’5” 302Pick 235 : EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby New Mexico 6’2” 244Pick 241 : LB Erick Hunter Morgan State 6’4” 220
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