Vikings must avoid letting Brosmer reshape QB future
Vikings must avoid letting Max Brosmer reshape their QB future
The Minnesota Vikings are entering training camp with big questions at the quarterback position. But while many are obsessing over the battle that will take place between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray for the starting job, Max Brosmer’s future is another one that could be decided.
An undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota, Brosmer was the star of last year’s training camp, earning a roster spot at the 11th hour.
But despite a pair of underwhelming performances when thrust into action, The Athletic's Alec Lewis recently revealed the Vikings haven’t changed their opinion as Brosmer enters his second season.
“Optimism for Brosmer persists. The Vikings wished he didn’t have to play during his rookie season, but circumstances thrust him into the spotlight. Release him, and opposing teams will have interest.”
Lewis’s intel creates an interesting dynamic. While the Vikings would like to keep Brosmer, it’s unlikely they’ll keep four quarterbacks on the roster with Murray, McCarthy, and Carson Wentz also on the team.
While they could have Brosmer on the practice squad, he’d have to clear waivers, allowing the “multiple teams” to get a shot at acquiring him.
Basic math means that someone has to go, and with Wentz likely to be on the roster, it could lead to a last-minute trade of whoever loses the quarterback battle between McCarthy and Murray.
But it also shouldn’t be a scenario that should happen, as Brosmer has no business deciding the Vikings' quarterback room.
Minnesota Vikings must decide if Max Brosmer is worth reshaping their QB room
The Vikings clearly see a lot they like in Brosmer. At 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds, he has the size and big arm similar to Sam Darnold, who thrived in Kevin O’Connell’s system in 2024. His ability to process also led O’Connell to call Brosmer “as smart as any young player I’ve been around” during last year’s training camp.
You could make the argument that Brosmer was put in a position to fail during his rookie season. His first career start came on the road against a Seattle Seahawks defense that intercepted him four times and wound up winning a Super Bowl a few months later.
His second career start came against an aggressive Detroit Lions defense that held him to 51 yards passing and sacked him seven times.
In a perfect world, Brosmer never would have seen the field, continuing his development in a risk-free environment. It is also likely the Vikings would love to “redshirt” Brosmer this year with Murray, McCarthy, and Wentz ahead of him. But looking at recent history, the Vikings can only protect Brosmer so much.
Over O’Connell’s four seasons as head coach, the Vikings have been down to their third-string quarterback twice in 2023 and 2025.
McCarthy and Murray aren’t exactly the picture of health either, and it may be a solid bet that either one or both quarterbacks spend time on the shelf in 2026.
While O’Connell has gushed over Wentz’s ability to be ready on short notice, he didn’t set the world on fire last season, completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions in five starts before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
In the current landscape of a 17-game season, it’s likely the Vikings will need multiple quarterbacks to get the job done. Which is why trading either McCarthy or Murray in an effort to keep Brosmer would be a bizarre move.
Maybe there is some kind of development that can take place for Brosmer during camp. But it’s fair to wonder what his ceiling is as someone who turned 25 in March.
This conversation would also be different if Brosmer, who was working with the same infrastructure that was supposed to elevate McCarthy’s play last year, showed anything other than a meme-worthy interception and getting piledriven into the turf on Christmas Day.
In any event, the Vikings may be trying to groom the next Sean Mannion – a player who many fans wondered what he was doing on the roster during his time in Minnesota before embarking on a rising coaching career that now has him as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles.
If that’s the case, the Vikings have to decide what’s more important. Squeezing everything they can out of an undrafted quarterback so O’Connell can have his first branch on a coaching tree? Or establishing depth that could come in handy as the Vikings embark on their annual journey to 10 wins and “a shot in the tournament?”
Unless Brosmer wakes up and becomes Darnold overnight, it’s unlikely he’d rise from this quarterback battle and be the surprising starter in 2027. It may even be unlikely he’s the backup next season based on what he showed last season.
But that’s not enough to make a knee-jerk trade of a former No. 1 overall pick or the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history unless O’Connell and his staff see things differently.
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
I thought at the time it was coaching malpractice to play Brosmer last year. Not sure we had a choice at Seattle, but after that game you could tell he had no business playing QB in the NFL at this point in his career. The team won despite him vs the Lions based on a tremendous outing from the defense. The only place I think makes sense for Brosmer this year is maybe the practice squad, or getting released.
This is a silly article. Its not that complicated. Brosmer is going to the practice squad. There's a small chance Wentz gets cutor sent to the practice squad if Brosmer looks great. There's no chance Brosmer is kept and either Murray or JJM is moved on from.
While they could have Brosmer on the practice squad, he’d have to clear waivers, allowing “multiple teams” to get a shot at acquiring him.
Oh no, what will they do!?! 😱 I'm glued to the screen awaiting the outcome of the multiple team Max Brosmer sweepstakes.
medaille wrote:
This is a silly article. Its not that complicated. Brosmer is going to the practice squad. There's a small chance Wentz gets cutor sent to the practice squad if Brosmer looks great. There's no chance Brosmer is kept and either Murray or JJM is moved on from.
Yes it is. There's a lot of silly articles floating around right now. Some a lot sillier than others. 😂
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
medaille wrote:
This is a silly article. Its not that complicated. Brosmer is going to the practice squad. There's a small chance Wentz gets cutor sent to the practice squad if Brosmer looks great. There's no chance Brosmer is kept and either Murray or JJM is moved on from.
Not sure why the article is silly. The writer says very plainly "Brosmer has no business deciding the Vikings' quarterback room."
Maybe it's Alec Lewis's comment? “Optimism for Brosmer persists. The Vikings wished he didn’t have to play during his rookie season, but circumstances thrust him into the spotlight. Release him, and opposing teams will have interest.”
I just find it a little weird that we keep hearing about our QB4. I think this is the 3rd thing I've read in the last couple of weeks about Brosmer's brains, processing speed, that he plays bullet chess to sharpen his decision making. Let me put it this way, a few months ago I thought the odds of the Vikings trading a QB was near zero. I no longer think that.
"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it”
MaroonBells wrote:
Not sure why the article is silly. The writer says very plainly "Brosmer has no business deciding the Vikings' quarterback room."
Maybe it's Alec Lewis's comment? “Optimism for Brosmer persists. The Vikings wished he didn’t have to play during his rookie season, but circumstances thrust him into the spotlight. Release him, and opposing teams will have interest.”
I just find it a little weird that we keep hearing about our QB4. I think this is the 3rd thing I've read in the last couple of weeks about Brosmer's brains, processing speed, that he plays bullet chess to sharpen his decision making. Let me put it this way, a few months ago I thought the odds of the Vikings trading a QB was near zero. I no longer think that.
Are you suggesting we trade JJ to keep Brosmer??
MaroonBells wrote:
Not sure why the article is silly. The writer says very plainly "Brosmer has no business deciding the Vikings' quarterback room."
Maybe it's Alec Lewis's comment? “Optimism for Brosmer persists. The Vikings wished he didn’t have to play during his rookie season, but circumstances thrust him into the spotlight. Release him, and opposing teams will have interest.”
I just find it a little weird that we keep hearing about our QB4. I think this is the 3rd thing I've read in the last couple of weeks about Brosmer's brains, processing speed, that he plays bullet chess to sharpen his decision making. Let me put it this way, a few months ago I thought the odds of the Vikings trading a QB was near zero. I no longer think that.
I feel like this article could just as easily have been about how we really liked Tai Felton last year, and how we don’t really want to have to trade Justin Jefferson, but also we don’t want to lose Tai Felton who was taken with a valuable 3rd round pick.
Headline: “Vikings must avoid temptation to trade Justin Jefferson to keep Tai Felton”
This is why it is silly to me.
It's not all that complicated. IF Brosmer truly balls out in the preseason...you likely trade...Wentz not McCarthy. If he doesn't, you don't have to worry about putting him on the PS and clearing waivers.
Cmon, Monday.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
Brosmer would most likely clear waivers based on what he’s done thus far. The league is full of young guys teams get excited about who will never develop into starters. Unless something changes dramatically, Wentz is by far the right choice for the third QB. Between the 3 guys, I’m confident they can get good enough play to win games. Obviously you want elite, but you need to establish a minimum acceptable floor to make the roster and Brosmer has not been close. That’s not to say Brosmer is necessarily incapable of seizing a spot, he has the tools, but he has to legit beat out the competition. A guy worth keeping will do just that.
I imagine another team stealing Brosmer off our practice squad would feel a lot like the police confiscating a squatter from my basement.
medaille wrote:
I feel like this article could just as easily have been about how we really liked Tai Felton last year, and how we don’t really want to have to trade Justin Jefferson, but also we don’t want to lose Tai Felton who was taken with a valuable 3rd round pick.
Headline: “Vikings must avoid temptation to trade Justin Jefferson to keep Tai Felton”
This is why it is silly to me.
I think you read a different article than I did.
"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it”
comet52 wrote:
Can this kind of talent clear waivers?
😂
These articles are FanSided at its best.....which means the worst.
Edit Post (mod action — author will see a notice)
Warn Poster
Suspend User (3 days)
The user will be suspended for 3 days and will receive an email with the reason and information about how to appeal.