The Minnesota Vikings found success with veteran quarterback Sam Darnold last season after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. Despite the impressive campaign, the Vikings placed their fate in the hands of McCarthy this offseason.
Minnesota allowed Darnold to walk in free agency, rejected four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers and didn’t spend a single draft pick on a quarterback. Instead, the Vikings signed Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft.
Although Minnesota has made it clear that McCarthy will be their starter, Brosmer could be poised to become the team’s long-term backup quarterback after dazzling the coaching staff in the early stages of the offseason.
Kevin O’Connell had his eyes on Vikings rookie quarterback for over a year
O’Connell kept up with Brosmer’s season after first noticing him during the Gophers’ 2024 Pro Day, which O’Connell attends annually because of his friendship with Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
"I always like to get over to the Gopher Pro Day,” O’Connell said. “P.J.’s had some really good rosters, but also to support what he's doing over there as a good friend of mine. And [Brosmer] got a chance to throw last year and caught my eye then. I didn't get a chance to watch him in person [during the season], but obviously any time that the Gophers were on TV and I could see it, just watching a lot of the things.”
After Brosmer slipped out of the draft, the Vikings offered him $246,000 in fully guaranteed money, which is exceptionally high for any undrafted free agent. Although that figure doesn’t guarantee a roster spot, it indicates how highly the Vikings think of Brosmer.
“And then we spend some time with their coaching staff, a little bit, sharing ideas and how we do things, and some of the ways we teach things. And so there's some good carryover for things that he's done during his time with the Gophers,” O’Connell added. “But any time that I get to a pro day of the same guy two years in a row, somehow I didn't even know that was possible, but I felt pretty good about Max as a thrower when we were able to get him here."
Brosmer transferred to Minnesota from New Hampshire for his final collegiate season, which he finished with 2,828 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. As a six-year college starter, the 24-year-old has more knowledge and experience than an average rookie.
After the first day of rookie minicamp on Friday, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell praised Brosmer’s football IQ and efficiency. O’Connell said Brosmer was “out there making corrections in the middle of a seven-on-seven walkthrough” after spending just a couple of hours in meetings with the team.
"I think a lot of it was on display today,” O’Connell said, via Sports Illustrated. “I mean, the starting point of just pretty efficient thrower of the football from a standpoint of fundamentals, technique, his ability to generate some pretty good evolutions and RPMs on the ball with pretty limited movement in the pocket. … So you're already seeing a lot of the things that we really identified in Max to bring them into a quarterback room that we're really excited about.”
McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is locked into his spot as the starting quarterback, but Brosmer could battle for the backup role with veteran quarterback Sam Howell, who signed with the Vikings in free agency. Minnesota’s roster also includes veteran quarterback Brett Rypien, who spent a majority of the 2024 season on their practice squad.