The Minnesota Vikings were in a similar position to what former backup quarterback and NFL veteran Brett Rypien finds himself in now with his new team.
Minnesota shook up its QB room this offseason after a year in which Rypien was one of five QBs on the Vikings’ active roster at some point amid injuries and inconsistency at the position. They believe they have addressed the issue with Kyler Murray.
But Rypien serves as a reminder of the tenuous nature of QB depth charts in the NFL.
Ex-Vikings QB Brett Rypien Returns to AFC
GettyBrett Rypien continues to build on his journeyman status.
According to KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson on August 15, Rypien is signing with the Houston Texans amid a season-ending knee injury to third-string QB Graham Mertz, which he suffered in their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“A former Boise State standout and the nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, Rypien has completed 58.3 percent of his career passes for 950 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a 2-2 record as a starter,” Wilson posted on X regarding Rypien, adding, “At Boise State, he passed for 13,581 yards and 90 touchdowns.
The Texans are Rypien’s ninth NFL team, but his 10th stop, with two separate stints on the Vikings accounting for the difference.
Notably, the Vikings are the only team Rypien has had multiple stays with.
He has also spent time with the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos–with whom he entered the league as a college free agent in 2019–Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks in his career so far.
With Mertz out for the season, Rypien has at least a reasonable chance of sticking with the Texans through training camp and the preseason.
That is, so long as he performs as they hope during his preseason reps.
Vikings Walking Fine Line Behind Kyler Murray
GettyThe Vikings are taking risks with and behind Kyler Gordon.
The Vikings are in a noteworthy QB situation themselves, with Murray taking over for J.J. McCarthy as the team’s starter. McCarthy is still around, though, as is veteran and Super Bowl champion Carson Wentz and second-year former UDFA Max Brosmer.
That is a recipe for disaster for the Vikings if something were to happen to Murray that would force him to miss time.
Moreover, all of the Vikings QBs, save for Brosmer, have injury concerns.
That is hardly a position a team wants to be in after revamping the most important position in the game during the offseason. It is, though, the reality that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and Co. ae navigating heading into the 2026 season.
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