Vikings reportedly working out QB Carson Wentz; Sam Howell in trouble?

Wentz, 32, spent last season backing up Patrick Mahomes with the Chiefs, who fell to the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Before that, Wentz spent the 2023 season as Matthew Stafford's backup for Sean McVay and the Rams, who run a similar offense to the one that Kevin O'Connell — McVay's former offensive coordinator — operates in Minnesota.

The Vikings also have a connection to Wentz in that quarterbacks coach Josh McCown was his backup with the Eagles in 2019, McCown's final NFL season as a player.

The immediate takeaway from this news is that it might mean Sam Howell's days with the Vikings are numbered. Howell was acquired from the Seahawks during April's NFL draft and has served as O'Connell's No. 2 quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy throughout the offseason. But Howell had an inconsistent, turnover-prone training camp, then followed a strong first preseason game with a dud in the next one, going 1 for 5 with an interception against the Patriots last weekend.

The Vikings working out Wentz would seem to suggest that they're exploring alternatives to Howell as the experienced option in their McCarthy-led QB room. It presumably doesn't mean anything about the status of undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who appeared to cement his spot on the 53-man roster with a gem of a performance in Friday night's preseason finale. With neither McCarthy nor Brosmer having attempted a pass in an NFL regular season game, the Vikings need someone in the room who has (and someone with a higher floor than Brett Rypien, who struggled on Friday).

We'll see if this news leads to the Vikings signing Wentz, the former No. 2 overall pick out of NDSU who finished third in MVP voting back in 2017 with Philadelphia. After struggling for the Eagles in 2020, Wentz started games for Indianapolis and Washington over the next two years before becoming a full-time backup in 2023. He has 95 games of starting experience under his belt.

Roster cutdown day is Tuesday.

More Vikings news