4 hours ago
Lots to unpack here, but apparently there have been conversations and discussions ramping up in Indy this past week. So the actual sources apparently are not just interweb posters looking to create clickbait.
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The combine is traditionally a major event for NFL offseason news, so it's a great source for gathering intel. National reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano spent the week talking to execs, coaches, agents, scouts, players and other team sources to learn more about what could happen in the coming weeks.
Will the Vikings add quarterback competition?
Graziano: The Vikings are not ready to give up on J.J. McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick who missed his rookie season because of a knee injury and struggled mightily through an injury-riddled second season in 2025. But they also aren't ready to hand McCarthy the keys for 2026. The odd quarterback landscape of this offseason makes it difficult to predict where the Vikings land, but if and when someone such as Geno Smith or Kyler Murray gets cut, I could see Minnesota pursuing that kind of passer on a low-cost, one-year prove-it deal.
Bringing in a veteran quarterback who has had some success in the league could be what the Vikings need to get McCarthy's attention. It would remind him about the parts of his game he still needs to work on and get him back on track to where Minnesota can hopefully harness his talent and build him into the franchise QB it thought he was when it drafted him. If the Vikings don't land that type of QB, they'd probably pivot to the older free agents in that group, such as Joe Flacco, former Viking Kirk Cousins and, yes, Aaron Rodgers, whom they discussed bringing in last offseason before deciding against it.
It's also possible that the Vikings look into one of the potentially available unproven backup QBs who could be available via trade, such as Tanner McKee, Davis Mills or even Anthony Richardson Sr. But while such a move might help them feel better about the depth of their QB room, it likely wouldn't help them accomplish their goal with McCarthy -- either get him back on track or at least buy themselves another year to evaluate his long-term viability.
Fowler: I've also heard that the Vikings are considering Kyler Murray and Geno Smith as they outline their veteran quarterback plan. Tua Tagovailoa and Cousins are also on their radar. Some I've talked to are breaking those four into two tiers, with Murray and Smith in the first group.
None of those quarterbacks are free agents, but Cousins will be soon, and the others are available via either a trade or a release. The expectation leaguewide is that a combination of Murray, Smith and Tagovailoa -- and possibly all three -- will be free agents soon enough, barring intensified trade talks. And many quarterbacks view Minnesota as an attractive destination.
Smith possibly joining the Vikings has been underplayed as a pairing in league circles, but it makes a lot of sense. He's due $18.5 million in 2026 guarantees but has another $8 million that guarantees on the third day of the new league year. He also offers "bridge QB" cover if the team doesn't want to bail on McCarthy and show a true QB competition, even if veiled.
What about Cousins and the rest of the QBs?
Graziano: The Falcons will release Kirk Cousins before the start of the league year, when his $67.9 million salary would become fully guaranteed under the terms of his reworked contract. Atlanta has to pay Cousins a $10 million roster bonus this year, whether he's on the team or not, but it does not appear to be interested in bringing back Cousins. (Read into that a $10mm discount for whoever signs him).
Cousins wants to play this season; I was told the rumors of him potentially retiring to take a TV job are incorrect. But he could be selective about his next destination. The past two times Cousins was a free agent, he received deals from Minnesota and Atlanta quickly. But this time, Cousins likely will wait to see how some of these situations shake out before deciding -- even if that means waiting through the offseason for some team's situation to change in his favor.
===
The combine is traditionally a major event for NFL offseason news, so it's a great source for gathering intel. National reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano spent the week talking to execs, coaches, agents, scouts, players and other team sources to learn more about what could happen in the coming weeks.
Will the Vikings add quarterback competition?
Graziano: The Vikings are not ready to give up on J.J. McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick who missed his rookie season because of a knee injury and struggled mightily through an injury-riddled second season in 2025. But they also aren't ready to hand McCarthy the keys for 2026. The odd quarterback landscape of this offseason makes it difficult to predict where the Vikings land, but if and when someone such as Geno Smith or Kyler Murray gets cut, I could see Minnesota pursuing that kind of passer on a low-cost, one-year prove-it deal.
Bringing in a veteran quarterback who has had some success in the league could be what the Vikings need to get McCarthy's attention. It would remind him about the parts of his game he still needs to work on and get him back on track to where Minnesota can hopefully harness his talent and build him into the franchise QB it thought he was when it drafted him. If the Vikings don't land that type of QB, they'd probably pivot to the older free agents in that group, such as Joe Flacco, former Viking Kirk Cousins and, yes, Aaron Rodgers, whom they discussed bringing in last offseason before deciding against it.
It's also possible that the Vikings look into one of the potentially available unproven backup QBs who could be available via trade, such as Tanner McKee, Davis Mills or even Anthony Richardson Sr. But while such a move might help them feel better about the depth of their QB room, it likely wouldn't help them accomplish their goal with McCarthy -- either get him back on track or at least buy themselves another year to evaluate his long-term viability.
Fowler: I've also heard that the Vikings are considering Kyler Murray and Geno Smith as they outline their veteran quarterback plan. Tua Tagovailoa and Cousins are also on their radar. Some I've talked to are breaking those four into two tiers, with Murray and Smith in the first group.
None of those quarterbacks are free agents, but Cousins will be soon, and the others are available via either a trade or a release. The expectation leaguewide is that a combination of Murray, Smith and Tagovailoa -- and possibly all three -- will be free agents soon enough, barring intensified trade talks. And many quarterbacks view Minnesota as an attractive destination.
Smith possibly joining the Vikings has been underplayed as a pairing in league circles, but it makes a lot of sense. He's due $18.5 million in 2026 guarantees but has another $8 million that guarantees on the third day of the new league year. He also offers "bridge QB" cover if the team doesn't want to bail on McCarthy and show a true QB competition, even if veiled.
What about Cousins and the rest of the QBs?
Graziano: The Falcons will release Kirk Cousins before the start of the league year, when his $67.9 million salary would become fully guaranteed under the terms of his reworked contract. Atlanta has to pay Cousins a $10 million roster bonus this year, whether he's on the team or not, but it does not appear to be interested in bringing back Cousins. (Read into that a $10mm discount for whoever signs him).
Cousins wants to play this season; I was told the rumors of him potentially retiring to take a TV job are incorrect. But he could be selective about his next destination. The past two times Cousins was a free agent, he received deals from Minnesota and Atlanta quickly. But this time, Cousins likely will wait to see how some of these situations shake out before deciding -- even if that means waiting through the offseason for some team's situation to change in his favor.
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