Vikings Sign Homegrown QB Hours After Sam Howell Trade

The Minnesota Vikings played the long game in replenishing their quarterback room following the departures of Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks, Daniel Jones to the Indianapolis Colts and Nick Mullens to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With the compensatory pick formula in mind, the Vikings watched the free-agent market supply dwindle of potential veteran backups for J.J. McCarthy before making a trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell on Saturday.

Howell has one year as a starter and figures to be QB2 behind McCarthy.

However, the Vikings still needed another arm for offseason activities and didn't have to look far.

Just hours after the conclusion of the draft, the Vikings signed 19 undrafted rookie free agents, including Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer. The 24-year-old quarterback secured a lucrative deal with the Vikings that includes $250,000 in guarantees, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

A New Hampshire transfer after leading the FCS in passing yards, Brosmer played just one season with Minnesota but set a program record with the most single-season completions (268) in 2024. He threw for 2,828 yards passing, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions with a 66.5% completion rate.

Brosmer is adept at layering passes over the middle of the field, which happens to be the hotspot of Kevin O'Connell's scheme.

"Brosmer is at his best attacking the intermediate part of the field and shows anticipation, a crisp release and firm spiral into tight windows. However, his downfield passing leaves a lot to be desired, and he makes receivers work for the catch when he can’t deliver in rhythm," The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote. "Overall, Brosmer is inconsistent when asked to play outside of structure, but he has several redeeming qualities, most notably his intelligence and drive, the chief reasons he can carve out a backup role in the NFL."

Brosmer joins Brett Rypien at the bottom of the Vikings' depth chart that is stocked with four quarterbacks entering minicamps in May. There is a feasible path for him to compete for a roster spot this summer.

McCarthy, who turned 22 back in January, is still the youngest quarterback on the team.