Max Brosmer makes NFL debut, snaps long drought for Gophers football

With one slight exception, Brosmer became the first Minnesota quarterback to take an NFL snap at QB in over 20 years.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer (12) enters the game in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 3 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. The Vikings won, 48-10. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Max Brosmer entered the Vikings' blowout win over the Bengals in the fourth quarter on Sunday, and in doing so, he snapped a lengthy drought for the University of Minnesota football program. Brosmer, who spent one season with the Gophers, became the first former Minnesota starting quarterback to take an NFL regular season snap at quarterback in over 20 years.

OK, technically, there's one exception to that claim. Chris Streveler, if you recall that name, played some quarterback for the Gophers in five games (including one start) as a freshman in 2014. But he was almost a wildcat QB, as he ran the ball 36 times to just 11 pass attempts (which resulted in four completions for 37 yards, a touchdown, and a pick). Streveler then moved to wide receiver as a sophomore before transferring to South Dakota. He would go on to play QB in nine NFL games, with one start and 40 total pass attempts. He currently plays in the Canadian Football League.

Even if it's true in a literal sense, it feels like a bit of a stretch to call a guy with four pass completions for the program a former Gophers starting quarterback.

If you raise the bar to a minimum of five completions in a Gophers uniform, the last Minnesota QB before Brosmer to take a snap at the position in the NFL was Cory Sauter back in 2002. (MarQueis Gray played some QB for the Gophers, but he was a tight end in the league for parts of five seasons). Sauter threw for nearly 7,000 yards for Minnesota from 1994-97, and he made one singular NFL appearance in December '02.

Going back before that, Spergon Wynn (0 for 1 passing for the Gophers) is even more of a stretch than Streveler. Really, the next name you encounter is Mike Hohensee, who started two games for the Bears in 1987. Then you've got legendary coach Tony Dungy, who was a defensive back in his brief NFL playing career but made one appearance as an emergency quarterback for the Steelers in 1977. Before Dungy, no former Gopher had attempted multiple passes in an NFL game since World War II.

Anyways, you get the point: The Gophers' history of producing NFL quarterbacks is basically non-existent. So even if they didn't exactly "produce" him by signing him as a grad transfer from New Hampshire, Brosmer making the Vikings' 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie and then seeing game action on Sunday is pretty cool for the Minnesota program.

Max Brosmer makes his NFL debut.

A Gophers QB playing in a regular season NFL game. First time in a loooong time.

pic.twitter.com/LsdPqotbLo

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) September 21, 2025

Brosmer got a loud ovation from the Minnesota crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium. His first NFL pass attempt was a strike over the middle that veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen unfortunately dropped. Brosmer did eventually complete a pass to Tai Felton, then another to Zavier Scott on the final play of the game. He finished the day 2 of 4 for 29 yards.

With starter J.J. McCarthy out, Brosmer figures to remain the Vikings' backup QB behind Carson Wentz for next Sunday's game against the Steelers in Ireland.

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