No one really took Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings seriously after their 5-0 start to the season, but it’s about time for full buy-in.
The Vikings enter Thanksgiving weekend with a 9-2 record, and Darnold ranks top-10 in the NFL in QB rating (101.7) and top-5 in touchdown passes (21).
At this point, Minnesota should be mentioned with the Detroit Lions (10-1) and Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) as one of the top teams in the NFC. As for Darnold? He’s expected to leave the Twin Cities this offseason, with rookie J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings and a lucrative, multi-year contract likely coming for him in free agency.
With that in mind, Kris Knox of Bleacher Report sees Minnesota adding a new, big-name veteran backup who you might not expect this March.
In his Week 13 NFC scouting reports, Knox has the Vikings signing former $128 million All-Pro quarterback Carson Wentz in 2025. Here was his take on the potential move:
“Carson Wentz may seem like an odd candidate to fill that role, but there are a couple of reasons why he would make sense. For one, he spent the 2022 season with Sean McVay and the Rams. Kevin O'Connell is a McVay disciple, so Wentz would likely enter the building with some system familiarity. Secondly, the soon-to-be 32-year-old shouldn't be a threat to McCarthy. He's firmly in the backup stage of his career and can focus on teaching the young signal-caller — and he should have plenty to teach. Wentz was part of a Super Bowl-winning team in 2017, and he's spent the last two years backing up Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes.”
Wentz would be an intriguing option for Minnesota, which figures to be aggressive this offseason in its search for a legitimate backup for McCarthy. The Vikings currently have no other quarterbacks signed beyond 2024, and Darnold’s rising price tag makes adding a player like Wentz — or former New York Giants QB Daniel Jones? — a near lock.
What could make Wentz more attractive than Jones is his contract, which was near the veteran minimum for the Kansas City Chiefs this season. The Vikings are projected to have the sixth-most cap space in the NFL in 2025, and signing Wentz to a cheap, short-term deal would allow GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to spend freely on key pending free agents like safety Camryn Bynum and corner Byron Murphy Jr.
The downside? Wentz has been mostly a disaster since getting traded from Philadelphia to Indianapolis in 2021. Since then he’s bounced around to Washington, the Los Angeles Rams and finally Kansas City. Minnesota would mark his sixth different spot in as many years. Darnold had a similar NFL journey, but it’s rare for lightning to strike twice.
The verdict here feels like a pass. There could be some salary cap benefits to adding Wentz, but the Vikings will be looking for a player closer to Darnold in 2024, or even Jones entering 2025: A veteran who could potentially save the season if called upon. At this point in his rollercoaster of a career, Wentz’s status as a potential savior is a serious question mark.
Related Minnesota Vikings stories:
NFL power rankings Week 13: Vikings deserve mention among Lions, Eagles in NFC
Kevin O’Connell’s legend grows following message to Bears rookie Caleb Williams
Minnesota among 2 ‘likeliest teams’ to sign exiled $160 million QB next week
