The Minnesota Vikings added a fourth quarterback to the roster by signing Matt Corral on Friday, but that does little to impact the team’s prospects in 2024.
Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who likely would have begun the season as Sam Darnold’s backup and may have usurped the veteran’s starting role at some mid-season point, will spend all year on the injured reserve list (IR) following surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The team is now unquestionably Darnold’s, but the questions behind him on the roster are substantial.
Nick Mullens is 5-15 as a starter, including 0-3 last year. Jaren Hall was a fifth-round pick in 2023 and struggled mightily in his two starts during his rookie campaign (1-1). Corral, a third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2022 NFL draft has yet to take a regular-season snap in the league and recently played a stint with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions.
The Vikings play in one of the better divisions in football, at least based on last year’s results and offseason projections in 2024. If Darnold gets injured or plays poorly, Minnesota is staring down the barrel of a lost season.
That doesn’t have to be the case, however, if the team is willing to spend on some QB insurance — namely in the form of former Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill.
Tannehill finished the final campaign of a four-year, $118 million contract in Nashville last season. Spotrac projects the former Pro Bowler’s market value at just $7.7 million in 2024, which could be worth it to the Vikings if they are serious about competing.
Ryan Tannehill Has More Experience, Success Than Any QB on Vikings’ Roster
Tannehill spent the last five seasons with the Titans, leading the team to the playoffs in three consecutive years from 2019-21, including to an AFC Championship Game appearance.
All told, Tannehill has spent 12 years in the league, playing 11 of those. He missed all of 2017 with a torn ACL.
Tannehill has amassed 34,881 yards, 216 TDs and 115 INTs on 64.3% passing over his career. He has started 151 of the 155 regular-season games in which he’s played between stints with the Titans and Miami Dolphins.
Tannehill will enter next season at 36 and is, by far, the most experienced QB remaining on the market.
Vikings Have Incentives to Add Ryan Tannehill, Compete in 2024
The Vikings have been victims of tragedy and bad luck this offseason, which have left them depleted in the secondary.
Minnesota also has questions on the interior of the offensive line and within its broader group of pass-catchers, as wide receiver Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson are both currently battling injuries and could miss regular-season work.
The Vikings have approximately $19.5 million in 2024 salary cap space as of Saturday and could feasibly use it in multiple different ways to try and improve the starting lineup. Tannehill, on the other hand, would be a relatively expensive backup option.
But quarterback is the most important position. Furthermore, the Vikings followed up a division crown and playoff berth off in 2022 with a 7-10 record last season. Another step back, or even treading water, could put head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on hot seats heading into 2025, with a second-year QB in McCarthy who will have yet to take an NFL snap.
In other words, incentive to compete this season exists across all levels of the organization and without a bonafide backup like Tannehill, the Vikings are one injury or one bad stretch from Darnold away from being irrelevant early in the campaign.
