Vikings poised to do something unusual at QB in 2026

You can make the case that the Minnesota Vikings, after the early part of free agency, now have three quarterbacks on the roster who could genuinely start come Week 1.

J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray, and Carson Wentz make up the quarterback room for Kevin O'Connell.

For most, Murray is the clubhouse leader to start, and it will be up to Wentz and J.J. to fight over the backup role. If Kyler plays well, he'll be "the" guy moving forward, and the other two will have to bide their time.

But for Sports Illustrated's Mike Kadlick, he offers up an interesting scenario that could play out for the Vikings in 2026.

"Not only did they come to an agreement with former No. 1 pick Kyler Murray on a one-year deal following his release from the Cardinals, but they’re also bringing back Carson Wentz for 2026 after he went 2–3 in five starts last season, throwing six touchdowns to five interceptions," Kadlick wrote.

"As a result, the Vikings are now employing three signal-callers who were all selected within the top 10 of the draft—as Murray and Wentz will join J.J. McCarthy in what has quickly become one of the NFL’s most intriguing position groups. All this to be said, while there may not be a clear answer under center, one thing feels all-but certain: They each could see the field at some point in 2026."

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Could Vikings play all 3 QBs?

Of course, they could. In fact, they did last year with McCarthy, Wentz, and Max Brosmer.

But heading into 2026, O'Connell would ideally like the position to be settled and have one player go 17 games as the starter.

Who that will be is unknown, but Murray appears to be the one to get first crack this offseason.

Minnesota is still reeling from its decision to move on from Sam Darnold in favor of J.J., and it looks like that wasn't the right call to make.

Now, as they enter the 2026 season, all three quarterbacks have a shot at playing meaningful football, but as the saying goes, if you have multiple quarterbacks, you have none.

And Minnesota has to figure out who it wants to lead the offense in 2026.

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