The Minnesota Vikings are hoping their QB situation won’t be an issue, and that either J.J. McCarthy or Kyler Murray emerges to lead them to the playoffs. Nonetheless, there’s the possibility that neither is the answer, given that both have question marks.
Murray eventually wore out his welcome with the Arizona Cardinals due to his inconsistent play. At the same time, McCarthy had a rollercoaster ride in the 2025 season, his first full year as the starter.
The former Cardinals star is hoping a fresh start helps him find that consistency, while McCarthy likely wants to show that he can be better in Year 3. Nonetheless, could the Vikings look to add a young QB as potential insurance if both these players fail?
On the May 27 edition of “Pro Football Talk Live,” NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms dropped the Vikings as a potential team that should be eyeing Brendan Sorsby should the player enter the supplemental draft.
“I’ve taken a look at him,” Simms said. “I’m not going to say I’ve deep dived him, but from what I did watch of him on film and stuff, and what I’ve seen on TV, he has a chance to be in the conversation for a first-round quarterback next year.
“He’s got enough talent where if I’m a team that’s a quarterback-needy football team, I’m going, ‘Round 3 of the supplemental draft, I might take this kid.’ If I’m the Arizona Cardinals right now without anything, the Pittsburgh Steelers…
“The Jets, the Texans, with the C.J. Stroud situation if you want. Some teams are going to do their due diligence and go, ‘Should we waste a third-round pick?’ Even the Vikings, that would be another one for sure.”
What’s the Latest on the Brendan Sorsby Situation
On May 26, the NCAA denied the Texas Tech Red Raiders QB’s request for reinstatement, ruling him ineligible for the 2026 season. The decision follows established precedent, even as Texas Tech’s president publicly supported Sorsby’s bid to play for the team amid the situation.
With that ruling now in place, attention turns to Sorsby’s legal challenge against the NCAA. The signal-caller is seeking an injunction to restore his eligibility for 2026, with a court date scheduled for June 1 in Lubbock County.
NFL Insider Doesn’t Mention Vikings as Potential Fit
Meanwhile, NFL Insider Albert Breer also weighed in on the Sorsby situation in his May 27 column for Sports Illustrated.
“If the court denies the injunction, I’d expect Sorsby to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft ahead of the league’s June 22 deadline to apply,” Breer wrote. “As we reported last week, the NFL has given Sorsby’s camp a window of July 5 to 12 to work out for teams should he enter the supplemental draft.
“The expectation would then be that he’d have a pro day in the Dallas area and perhaps do a couple of private workouts for teams that show interest. The draft would be in late July.
“This is only getting more interesting, especially with a number of teams that didn’t spend top-50 picks on quarterbacks in April having their eyes on the 2027 class, and a few, like the Steelers and Colts, still could take a swing here. If Sorsby is in the supplemental draft, another question will be whether the NFL takes any action against him, like it did against Terrelle Pryor in 2011.”
Sorsby has played four seasons for the Cincinnati Bearcats and Indiana Hoosiers, throwing for 7,208 yards, 60 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, and a 140.6 QB rating, per StatMuse.
Vikings Issued Strong Brendan Sorsby Message After NCAA Ruling