All signs are pointing to the Minnesota Vikings adding a new quarterback.
The most recent indicator that Minnesota plans to bolster the position group was a report from ESPN’s Field Yates on Tuesday, October 10, that the team held a workout with a long-time NFL veteran and journeyman QB.
The Vikings worked out a group of 8 players today, most notably veteran QB Colt McCoy.
“The Vikings worked out a group of 8 players today, most notably veteran QB Colt McCoy,” Yates posted to X.
Colt McCoy Long-Time NFL Backup QB with Several Teams
GettyFormer Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy looks to pass during an NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks.
McCoy’s professional career began when the Cleveland Browns selected him in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft after several successful seasons at the University of Texas.
The Browns gave McCoy a legitimate run as their starter over his first two years, during which the QB earned a record of 6-15. Cleveland relegated McCoy to the backup role in 2012 before trading him to the San Francisco 49ers the next year.
McCoy was never a regular NFL starter again, but continued to find his way onto rosters as the QB2. He had stints with the Washington Commanders (five years), New York Giants (one year) and Arizona Cardinals (two years), failing to make an appearance in a regular season NFL game in only one season (2016).
For his career McCoy is 11-25 as a starter. He has thrown for 7,975 yards, 34 touchdowns and 32 interceptions while completing 62.6% of his 1,220 career attempts, per Pro Football Reference.
Vikings May Need to Replace Nick Mullens with Colt McCoy
GettyQuarterback Nick Mullens of the Minnesota Vikings claps during an NFL preseason game against the Tennessee Titans in August 2023.
If the Vikings sign McCoy, it won’t be to replace starter Kirk Cousins — at least not yet.
Backup QB Nick Mullens is battling a back injury that already necessitated one roster move at the position, which the decision-makers in Minnesota said Monday could happen again depending on how his health progresses.
“The #Vikings released former #Gophers QB Tanner Morgan from their practice squad,” Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported Tuesday on X. “They’d brought Morgan in last week with Nick Mullens battling a back injury; [head coach] Kevin O’Connell said yesterday the Vikings could explore a roster move at QB if Mullens misses more time.”
The third quarterback on the Vikings’ roster is fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall. The addition of McCoy would indicate that Hall isn’t ready to step into a backup role that would necessitate he start were Cousins to suffer an injury or land with another team.
There have been no solid reports of Minnesota shopping Cousins ahead of the NFL’s October 31 trade deadline, though the possibility becomes more real and more logical by the day.
The Vikings are 1-4 after falling 27-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend in a game marred by questionable officiating. Furthermore, All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson is bound for the injured reserve list (IR) after straining his right hamstring in the second half of that loss.
With Jefferson now out at least four games and Cousins playing on the final year of his contract, trading the QB for a quality draft asset in 2024 makes considerable sense. If that happens, a player like McCoy is more suited than Hall or an injured Mullens to produce a reasonable on-field product for the Vikings to finish out the season.
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Vikings Work Out Veteran QB Amid Uncertainty at Position