Getty
Quarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings are going to sign a veteran quarterback in 2026 to compete with JJ McCarthy, but their options were severely limited before recent unfortunate developments in the AFC.
Daniel Jones was the top-rated free agent at any position heading into the offseason, per SI, and the Indianapolis Colts were primed to offer him a significant deal after he led the team to an 8-4 start. Still, several NFL analysts recently connected Jones to the Vikings as a potential challenger to McCarthy via free agency.
“The Colts signaled their intentions to build around this rejuvenated version of Jones when they spent big on other spots at the trade deadline, but how Jones finishes could determine his long-term fate,” Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports wrote December 3.
Minnesota is currently facing a $36 million salary cap deficit heading into 2026 and would have had to pay Jones a considerable salary for a chance to sign him. Beyond that, the team wouldn’t have been able to guarantee Jones the starting job, as it remains heavily invested in McCarthy.
But then Jones suffered an Achilles tear against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, which dashes his multi-year value and puts his future with Indianapolis in jeopardy due to that team’s winning timeline and the fact that Jones is likely to miss several weeks next season as he rehabilitates.
The Vikings are one of just a few teams in the league that could find incentive in signing an injured veteran leading into 2026. Minnesota will want to give McCarthy some rope in his third year, as he has started only seven games to this point and just produced the best outing of his career — 16-of-23 passing for 163 yards and three TDs — in a 31-0 victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 14.
Daniel Jones Might Find Opening With Vikings Upon Return From Injury
GettyQuarterback Daniel Jones of the Indianapolis Colts.
Jones is now going to have to sign another prove-it deal, potentially at some point in the middle of next season, after inking a one-year contract worth $14 million in Indy this year that looked poised to pay off big before his injury.
The Vikings are going to keep McCarthy, and likely name him the leading candidate for QB1 heading into next offseason. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, whom the team still likes despite the four-interception performance he put up in his first career start against the Seahawks two weeks ago, is also likely to remain on the roster due to his inexpensive contract.
Minnesota will almost certainly look to an established veteran other than Jones to compete with McCarthy during the preseason, unless the 22-year-old finishes the campaign in stellar fashion. But if the Vikings don’t sign big-name player or spend massive draft capital trading for someone like Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers, there could well be an opening for a QB2/McCarthy challenger by the time Jones returns to the field healthy in 2026.
Daniel Jones Could Offer Vikings Perfect Hedge Against JJ McCarthy Next Season
GettyIndianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones.
It is fair to note that there is considerable projection and speculation in this potential outcome. However, the Vikings have put themselves in a strange and unique hole by letting Jones and Sam Darnold walk in favor of a top-10 pick in McCarthy who has yet to truly pan out.
As such, Minnesota will be able to consider all options come next March. The Vikings won’t sign Jones before he’s healthy enough to show what he can potentially accomplish on the field, but the team already likes Jones and has had him in the QB room before.
Players often require a full year, or more, to recover from an Achilles injury. But such players also offer bargains on inexpensive, short-term contracts. If the Colts turn away from Jones in 2026, the Vikings may have an opening to bring back a quarterback they know can succeed in their system on more or less a trial run.
If Minnesota inks Jones and McCarthy succeeds next year, Jones may never get a shot with the Vikings and can hit free agency again in 2027. However, if McCarthy doesn’t develop the way Minnesota would like, they could get a do-over on Jones after clearly erring in letting him walk in free agency last offseason.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
More Heavy on Vikings
Loading more stories
