Who Will Be the Vikings' QB in 2026? Here Are 10 Options

In a perfect world, the Vikings will play in 2026-27 with a quarterback who leads them back to the playoffs and, better yet, delivers head coach Kevin O'Connell his first playoff victory in his fifth season in Minnesota.

Whether the Vikings run it back with J.J. McCarthy as the starter or go outside to find someone better, there are plenty of options — albeit some more realistic than others. Ideally, as you'll see in our list below, McCarthy is the best option, but only if he answers a lot of questions.

1. J.J. McCarthy

He's already wearing purple and gold. He knows Kevin O'Connell's offense. He was drafted 10th overall. Jim Harbaugh called him the best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. He also flashed a clutch gene and an ability to make some incredible throws in 10 starts this season, going 6-4. If all of the promising things about McCarthy can overshadow the negatives — injuries, awful interceptions and incompletions, taking too many sacks, etc. — then he has a chance to become the guy the Vikings thought they were getting when they drafted him.

2. Joe Burrow

The Bengals reportedly have zero interest in trading Burrow. Why would they? He's a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback who, when healthy, is one of the five best in the game. Trading for Burrow seems unrealistic right now, but what if he requests a trade? What if the Vikings are the team rumored to be pushing the league to increase tradable draft picks from three years in the future to five, and they're doing that to up the ante in an offer for Burrow? It's a pipe dream, but he'd be a dream fit in purple and gold.

3. Lamar Jackson

I could've copied and pasted what I wrote about Burrow for Jackson. Alas, this one seems even more unrealistic after news broke Tuesday that Jackson and the Ravens are working on a contract extension.

4. Kyler Murray

Maybe I'm a bit hyped on Murray just because I saw a former NFL quarterback (Kurt Benkert) suggest that he would be awesome with the Vikings, but there's a bit more to it than that.

Kyler Murray would be incredible for the Vikings.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) February 10, 2026

The Vikings might be able to get Murray for a Day 3 pick, according to ESPN's Benjamin Solak. That's a no-brainer until you see his contract and Minnesota's cap situation. That's why the Vikings, and every other team in the league, would be wise to wait until the Cardinals are forced to consider releasing Murray and eating a plateful of dead money.

Murray is fascinating because he's a 28-year-old former No. 1 pick who made two Pro Bowls early in his career but has only been healthy for a full season once in the last four years. He's talented, but does he fit what O'Connell is looking for in a QB?

5. Mac Jones

Yeah, there have been multiple insiders saying the 49ers have no plans to trade Jones, but Jones himself says he wants to start in 2026. This is a game, and I'd be shocked if Jones isn't starting somewhere next season. He's due to become a free agent in 2027, so the Vikings might have to give up a player and a pick to get him (Hey, Jordan Addison) and then trust that they'll be able to sign him to a contract extension.

6. Aaron Rodgers

When Jefferson says it would be a "dream" to play with Rodgers, and Aaron Jones says he'd like to see Rodgers in Minnesota next season, you absolutely have to revisit the fact that Rodgers was in Minnesota's lap a year ago before he signed with the Steelers.

Was it a joint decision by O'Connell and former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to pass on Rodgers, or was it the GM who had final say? If it's the latter, then O'Connell might be in a position to reach out to Rodgers and reconnect. Unfortunately, Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw has heard that Rodgers told new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy that he'll return to Pittsburgh in 2026 if McCarthy wants him back.

7. Derek Carr

If Carr comes out of retirement and wants to play in Minnesota, the Vikings would be insane to say no unless they are 100% convinced McCarthy will be great or they've already found someone even better. The best roster Carr has played on in his career was in 2016, when he was throwing passes in Oakland to Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, with Latavius Murray running the ball. He could put up huge numbers with Jefferson and Addison.

Derek Carr in New Orleans (2023-24): 68 percent completions, 40 TD, 13 INT, 98.8 rating.

Feels like an option the Vikings have to at least consider. https://t.co/RM0njawX7u
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) February 8, 2026

8. Malik Willis

The guy has completed 70 of 89 passes over the past two seasons in Green Bay, including six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's also added 261 rushing yards and three scores in that span. There are reports that Willis could get up to $26 million annually as a free agent in March, and that's a number the Vikings could potentially afford as they restructure current player contracts to free up space and give Willis a big signing bonus to reduce his 2026 cap hit. But would a financial commitment that large rule out the possibility of McCarthy winning a training camp competition?

9. Kirk Cousins

His contract is astronomical, so this only makes sense if the Falcons release him and the Vikings want Cousins to return for a year to compete with McCarthy (or possibly give the youngster another year to develop behind the scenes). It would give Cousins a chance to finish what he started in 2023, when he was on pace to throw for 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns before his Achilles ruptured at Lambeau Field in the eighth game of the season.

10. Anthony Richardson

Richardson, 23, is blessed with extreme athleticism, and his potential is still through the roof. The Vikings allegedly loved him before he was selected fourth overall in 2023, and there's a chance that they still see his upside. Overall, he's a tough case to judge because he's suffered so many injuries in two years, including a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023, followed by a shoulder joint sprain last summer and an orbital fracture in a freak accident involving a resistance band last October.