Who are the Vikings' veteran quarterback options left in free agency?

Late last season, Kevin O'Connell could walk into the Vikings' quarterback room and see five players, all of them at different points in their QB journey: Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, Daniel Jones, and Brett Rypien.

Over the past few days, three members of that group have signed elsewhere in free agency. Darnold turned his incredible season as Minnesota's starter into a three-year, $100.5 million deal to replace Geno Smith with the Seahawks. Despite interest from the Vikings, Jones chose to take $14 million to go to the Colts and compete with Anthony Richardson for the starting job. Mullens followed Grant Udinski to the Jaguars, where he'll be Trevor Lawrence's backup.

That leaves just McCarthy, who is in line to take over as the Vikings' starter, and Rypien, who is best suited as a QB3 or QB4. Two days into free agency, one of Minnesota's most obvious remaining needs is a veteran quarterback who can back up McCarthy and serve as important insurance in case he misses time.

Who's still out there that could make sense in that role? For the time being, we're going to assume it won't be Aaron Rodgers, even if those rumors won't go away until the four-time MVP actually makes his decision. Here are five players who actually fit the backup mold.

Mac Jones

Jones is a former first-round pick who is just 26 years old, giving him some lingering upside if he were to get accepted into O'Connell's prestigious quarterback academy. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie with the Patriots, then saw his numbers fall off over the next two seasons to the point where he clearly was no longer the answer in New England. The Pats traded Jones to the Jaguars last year and drafted Drake Maye, and Jones wound up making seven starts while Lawrence was hurt. The results were similarly mediocre. Still, Jones has good size and was highly productive when playing with elite receivers at Alabama, so he could be a reasonable solution for the Vikings.

Gardner Minshew

Minshew would be a fun addition for the vibes alone. Known for his mustache and his personality, the former sixth-round pick has had stretches of "Minshew Mania" during a solid career. He threw 37 touchdown passes to just 11 interceptions in his first two seasons with the Jaguars, then spent a couple years as a backup with the Eagles before landing with the Colts in 2023, where he started 13 games and actually wound up as a replacement player in the Pro Bowl. Minshew had a career-low 81 passer rating and more picks than touchdowns last year in nine starts with the Raiders, but he's a high-end backup who turns 29 in May. He was released by Las Vegas, so there would be no risk of him factoring into the comp pick formula even if he gets a decent-sized contract.

Carson Wentz

Wentz is a few years removed from his time as a starter, but he's been in a couple great spots for growth as a No. 2 option in recent years. This past season, he was with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes as the backup in Kansas City. Before that, he was with Sean McVay and the Rams, and his experience in that system would make for an easy transition into Minnesota's offense. Way back when, Wentz was an MVP candidate as a young No. 2 overall pick with the Eagles. He also had a solid stint with the Colts in 2021. The 32-year-old former North Dakota State star has always had impressive physical tools.

Joe Flacco

Flacco is four months older than O'Connell and came out of the same 2008 draft class as the Vikings' head coach, so it would be a fun story if the two got to work together this season. There's always been a lot of mutual respect there. Even at 40, Flacco can still sling it; he's played pretty well in stints with the Colts and Browns over the past two seasons. Flacco has a Super Bowl ring and 207 NFL starts to his name, which would make him quite the mentor to McCarthy. In addition to being the backup, he would almost be like another coach alongside O'Connell and Josh McCown. It also doesn't hurt that Flacco played with new Vikings offensive linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in Indianapolis last season.

Jameis Winston

This would be the most chaotic pick (aside from Rodgers, of course). Winston is the ultimate gunslinger and personality. He famously had a 5,000-yard, 30-touchdown, 30-interception season with the Buccaneers in 2019, and he's still the same guy years later. It was just last December when Winston, playing for the Browns, had a game with 497 passing yards, 4 TDs, and 3 INTs. He's like Mullens on (metaphorical) steroids. I don't know if I see it happening; he might not be the best influence for McCarthy on or off the field.

Five more

• Marcus Mariota
• Drew Lock
• Mason Rudolph
• Cooper Rush
• Taylor Heinicke

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