Vikings QB Options Dwindle to a Pair of Realistic Trade Targets

The Vikings QB situation hasn’t been flawless in 2026. In fact, the play under center has been quite poor, a brutal reality for a team that’s seeing Kevin O’Connell lead the charge in his fifth year.

So much of the focus right now is on how to rectify the issue. At 6-1, Minnesota has the capacity to do something special in the current season if the offense can begin carrying its own weight. Both the specials and the defense are exemplary. Failing to capitalize on their brilliance would be a major disappointment.

The plan going into Monday Night Football is to start Carson Wentz, ostensibly due to injury to Kyler Murray. There will then be the NFL trade deadline on the Tuesday to follow. After Wentz is Max Brosmer, a young lad who is to be respected but not put on the field. His potential rests in the future, not 2026.

Minnesota appears to be down to a pair of options.

2 Vikings QB Options on the Trade Market

Ian Rapoport offered some reporting for ESPN on the possibility of Daniels Jones being traded away.

Currently, the Colts are working through a full fire sale, meaning the underperforming starter is up for grabs. The basic update clarifies that the “Colts have received calls from multiple teams inquiring about trading for Jones.”

And then there’s the insight for Minnesota specifically. “Speculation has also included the Minnesota Vikings,” Rapoport explains, “a team Jones has history with and a team with a Super Bowl-caliber defense that shouldn’t be ruled out. The Colts have preferred to wait until this week to ponder any potential trade for Jones, league sources said, if they even decide to move him at all.”

Truth be told, making a move for Jones would be a hope and a prayer. Maybe it works out but it’s not hard to see how it goes poorly. At the very least, he’s a veteran who boasts great size and who has some history with the Vikings.

Otherwise, the best bet is to see about prying away Kirk Cousins from Las Vegas.

Cousins is torching the stat sheet while operating with lesser pass catchers than he would have in a return to the Twin Cities. He’s sitting atop 2,124 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. At this stage, it’s pretty clear that Klint Kubiak is a much better play caller than O’Connell, but the thinking is that the veteran could still shine in the short term if he went back to Minnesota.

Justin Jefferson won Offensive Player of the Year with Cousins delivering the pigskin.

Per Over the Cap, Cousins is operating on a bargain $1.3 million deal. Could he get acquired for a 4th or a 5th? If so, the Vikings ought to seriously consider making the move.

Carson Wentz has the potential to be a nice option for these Vikings. He’s a smart, tough competitor who will do better at executing the Kevin O’Connell scheme than the other Vikings QB: Kyler Murray. The main issues are that he has lesser arm strength and has his own history of injury.

Murray isn’t likely to get shown the door, but is there any chance he’d get shipped out to a team in search of a QB answer?

A terrible team like the Jets or Browns could be intrigued by Murray, picking him up for a late-round selection to see if the 29-year-old Vikings QB could become a long-term possibility in a new environment.

Other names such as Justin Herbert and Mac Jones have found themselves in the trade rumors but neither is likely. Put differently, both are close to impossible to acquire. Herbert is pricey and Jones plays for a main NFC rival, meaning neither is likely to become a Vikings QB anytime soon.

Minnesota’s best bet is to pursue Kirk Cousins. Failing to snag him could mean giving Daniel Jones a shot to take the reins in Minnesota.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.