The Minnesota Vikings are the best team in the NFL with the most questionable quarterback situation.
Starter Kyler Murray has been only so-so this season, with speculation about him being possibly benched at some point for Carson Wentz aflutter in the football world.
Murray will miss the team's Monday night home game
against the Buffalo Bills with a sore hamstring, giving Wentz an opportunity to make his case for why he could start for the team going forward.If Wentz falters and Murray's injury lingers (to compound with his subpar play), could we see the Vikings make an emergency move at quarterback before the NFL trade deadline to bolster that room?
Minnesota has a Super Bowl-caliber defense and one of the best offensive supporting casts in the NFL.
If the quarterback position is holding them back, it wouldn't be a shock to the team make a big move. Maybe not Justin Herbert-big, as far as we can tell, but enough to buoy the team's postseason chances in a competitive NFC.
Kirk Cousins
The easiest (and most likely) pivot Minnesota could make is to trade for Cousins, the former Viking who played well in Kevin O'Connell's scheme. The Las Vegas Raiders could throw Fernando Mendoza the keys to start his NFL career and give Cousins a chance to play for a Super Bowl with the franchise where he spent many seasons. Would Las Vegas actually do this? We have no idea, but it'd be a feel-good story for all involved.
Mac Jones
If San Francisco would actually part ways with their prized backup ahead of the NFL deadline, Minnesota could be his perfect landing spot. He could audition for the job in 2027 with his contract about to lapse before the spring. If Jones played well, Minnesota could get a head start on finding their starter for the foreseeable future. Maybe the 49ers would take Murray or Wentz as a high-level backup to Brock Purdy ahead of a probable Super Bowl run?
Tua Tagovailoa
While Tagovailoa might not inspire much hope for being better than Murray at this point, he is an established starter who we imagine the Atlanta Falcons would part with for a late-round draft selection. If Tagovailoa could reignite his career with a quarterback-friendly offense, Minnesota might not be the worst spot. However, the team might not view him as an upgrade over Murray at this point. Who knows?
Joe Flacco
The Cincinnati Bengals backup is a past Super Bowl winner who could just operate as a savvy veteran field general for the explosive Minnesota offense. For a low-risk, high-reward option, getting an old gunslinger in Flacco for a late-round pick could pay off in dividends if Flacco still has a little gas left in the tank. We don't hate this idea.
...Sam Darnold
Okay, this MOST LIKELY would not happen. However, the Seahawks did look better this season with Drew Lock starting under center as opposed to Darnold. The latter has not been quite as sharp this season... even though he quite literally just won Seattle a Super Bowl in the spring. HYPOTHETICALLY, the Vikings could send the Seahawks a really good draft package (and even Murray) in a blockbuster deal to bring Darnold back to Minnesota. Lock could get his chance to prove his starting bona fides for a Super Bowl contender. Darnold could return to where his career skyrocketed to even get the point to lead Seattle to a Super Bowl. Again, THIS IS JUST A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT. However... we kind of like the fit for both sides. It's hugely risky for Seattle, but fortune favors the bold?
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Vikings QB options if team pivots from Kyler Murray before trade deadline
