The Minnesota Vikings aren’t all-in just yet on backup quarterback Sam Howell and will use training camp to gauge whether they need to make a veteran addition.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic addressed the Vikings’ QB situation behind starter J.J. McCarthy on Monday, June 23.
Spring practice only reveals so much, but Howell’s arm talent is inarguable. The questions lay in his field vision, decision-making and accuracy.
[Kevin] O’Connell might believe that he and the Vikings’ offense could mitigate any potential risks those qualities could cause. In that way, Howell might not be crazily dissimilar from Sam Darnold.
There aren’t an abundance of alternatives. If the Vikings soured on Howell, they could try to sway longtime starter Ryan Tannehill. Plucking Kirk Cousins from the [Atlanta] Falcons is another break-glass-in-case-of-emergency possibility.
The problem with Tannehill is that he hasn’t played for an entire season, sitting out all of 2024 while waiting for a crack at a starting job that never materialized. The Tennessee Titans benched him midway through the 2023 campaign for Will Levis, which means Tannehill hasn’t taken a meaningful snap in the NFL for a year and a half.
The issues with Cousins are that Minnesota would have to trade for him, which means sending out a draft pick and incurring perhaps $10 million or so of the $27.5 million Atlanta still owes the QB in base salary in 2025. The Vikings have the cap space to do that, but the team is staring down the barrel of a $50 million cap deficit in 2026 and may instead wish to hold onto its money and roll that over into next year as a safeguard against future financial issues.
As such, the best case scenario could be a free-agent signing of a QB who has taken a snap in the last 18 months.
Enter Carson Wentz.
Carson Wentz Has Produced Successful 9-Year NFL Career
Wentz is a former No. 2 overall pick of the Philadelphia Eagles and was on track to win an MVP in his second professional season (2017) before a torn ACL sidelined him 13 games into the campaign. Philly went on to win a title that year with backup QB Nick Foles, and nothing has ever been quite the same for Wentz.
He has made $133 million in his career and owns a starting record of 47-46-1. Wentz has thrown for 22,410 yards, 153 TDs and 67 INTs over that span.
Now 32 years old, Wentz spent last season, his ninth in the NFL, as the backup to Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs. He remains a free agent and is looking to catch on with a team ahead of the 2025 season, which begins in September.
Kirk Cousins Better, More Expensive Fit Than Carson Wentz
Wentz doesn’t have the biggest arm, but he’s always been able to make enough NFL throws to be a viable starter.
His biggest issue has been porr decision-making leading to turnovers, which O’Connell can mitigate in the same fashion that he did so with Darnold last season and will attempt with Howell in 2025, should the fourth-year QB remain on the roster.
Cousins is a higher-level player than Wentz and also available. However, he will cost more in terms of salary and because of trade price.
If the Vikings don’t want to spend on a four-time Pro Bowler who knows O’Connell’s offense in Cousins but are also reticent about handing the keys over to Howell should McCarthy struggle or suffer injury, Wentz is a low-cost, relatively low-risk play on a one-year deal — from whom Minnesota can move on quickly if things don’t work out.
