Could the Vikings Become Arch Manning's Preferred NFL Destination?

Arch Manning and the Minnesota Vikings? That's just crazy, right?

Not necessarily. Especially if Kyler Murray doesn't re-sign and the Vikings don't see J.J. McCarthy as their franchise quarterback. In that scenario, they might be picking pretty high in the 2027 NFL Draft. That alone would set the stage for some draft fireworks involving the Vikings. Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr recently floated the idea of Minnesota being the ideal landing spot for Manning.

"With the Jets’ division rivals acquiring (A.J.) Brown, and the Cardinals’ division rivals acquiring (Myles) Garrett, and the Browns trading Garrett, the likelihood that one or all of these traditionally maligned franchises end up with the top pick is starting to solidify," Orr writes. "Manning can certainly escape—there is a family blueprint. But it’s starting to look like another thorny runway for a Manning entering the professional ranks. How do you avoid the Browns, Cardinals and Jets to make your way to the Vikings? We’re about to find out."

Orr is suggesting that Manning, who is entering his third year at Texas, could perhaps pull a stunt as Eli Manning did in 2004, when he allegedly threatened to sit out his rookie season and not sign if the Chargers drafted him. The Chargers drafted him anyway with the No. 1 pick, but less than an hour later, they traded him to the Giants for Philip Rivers, who was the No. 4 pick, along with a 2004 third-round pick, a 2005 first-round pick, and a 2005 fifth-round pick.

Arch's agent is Alan Zucker, the head of talent at Excel Sports Management. Zucker works with CAA Sports' Tom Condon, who was Eli's agent when he threatened to sit out. Do you see where this could be headed?

The Vikings are a world-class organization, rated highly by players in the annual surveys that rank a team's coaching staff, ownership, facilities, training staff, food, and more. As so many NFL insiders said before Murray signed with the Vikings, Minnesota was the top choice for every quarterback looking for a new team this offseason.

It would be easier for teams to pass on Arch if he threatens to sit out than it was for the Chargers with Eli in 2004. The 2004 draft also featured Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, but the fourth and fifth quarterbacks taken were J.P. Losman and Matt Schaub. Not exactly a generational QB class.

The 2027 draft is expected to be generational, perhaps rivaling the incredible QB classes from 2024 and 1983. The 1983 draft saw six quarterbacks taken in the first round, including John Elway, Jim Kelly, Ken O'Brien, and Dan Marino. The 2024 class also produced six first-round quarterbacks: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., McCarthy, and Bo Nix.

Draft expert Todd McShay has Manning alongside Oregon's Dante Moore, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, and Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby (pending his gambling addiction situation) as the four best quarterbacks in next year's draft.

"Manning made massive strides during the second half of last season, but he wasn’t quite there yet. This year, I’ll be looking for him to be even sharper with his eyes and more consistent with his throwing mechanics," McShay wrote to his Substack subscribers on June 1.

McShay added that if he were forced to predict the No. 1 pick right now, he'd go with Manning.

If Manning doesn't want to play for Browns, Cardinals, and Jets, at least those teams, assuming they're picking early in the draft, will have high-end options beyonds Manning.

Add in the fact that Arch's grandpa, Archi Manning, finished his career with the Vikings in 1983 and 1984, and the storyline is even more compelling. We can see it now: "History Repeats With Manning to Minnesota in Draft Day Shocker."

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