Former Atlanta Falcons QB Signed to Minnesota Vikings 53-Man Roster

A former Atlanta Falcons quarterback is finding a home in the NFL. According to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Desmond Ridder is signing with the Minnesota Vikings on their active roster.

By signing Desmond Ridder to the 53-man roster, not the practice squad, the #Vikings gain flexibility to potentially have an experienced starter as QB2, rather than press undrafted rookie Max Brosmer into action if something happens to Carson Wentz. https://t.co/dbQyPm2nWv
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 16, 2025

After being drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Ridder started 17 games for the Falcons across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He gave the fanbase hope after a 2-2 finish to the 2022 season, in which he completed 63.5% of his passes for 708 yards and two touchdowns.

The Falcons parted ways with the then-starter Marcus Mariota that offseason and declared Ridder their starter for the 2023 season. That season did not go well for the Falcons, nor for Ridder.

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The second-year quarterback routinely looked uncomfortable and finished the season 6-7 as a starter. Ridder was soon benched in favor of backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Over the course of the 15 games that Ridder appeared in, he completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, but also rushed for 193 yards and five touchdowns. He was sacked 31 times.

After a dreadful loss in the final regular season game of the season to the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith and traded Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Rondale Moore.

The Cardinals cut him that summer, and the former Falcon has bounced around the NFL since then.

Ridder was picked up by the Las Vegas Raiders later in 2024, and he was called upon to play after they picked up several injuries at the quarterback position. He went 0-5 as a starter, and completed 61.2 percent of his throws for 458 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

He spent the 2025 preseason with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was released at the end of August before the season. Until today, he had remained a free agent.

The Vikings, who just played the Falcons on Sunday Night Football in Week 2, lost quarterback J.J. McCarthy to an ankle injury that was announced after the game. He was sacked six times and hit 11 times in the Falcons’ 22-6 victory.

Ridder, 26, will join rookie Max Brosmer on the roster and will reportedly come in to be the team’s emergency third quarterback behind Carson Wentz in their Week 3 matchup with Cincinnati.