The Minnesota Vikings walked out of cutdown day with a 53-man roster, a new front office look under GM Nolan Teasley, and one of the strangest quarterback pictures in the league.
They trimmed more than 30 players, moved a few others through injury designation or trade, and still made the call that stands out most: all four quarterbacks stayed put. Kyler Murray, JJ McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer are all on the roster after a day that was supposed to clear things up.
That choice was the real headline, even with the usual roster churn around it. Murray and Wentz were widely expected to survive the cut. The uncertainty sat with McCarthy and Brosmer, neither of whom put together a preseason that answered every question hanging over the room.
Despite any speculation that he could be released or traded, Minnesota QB J.J. McCarthy finished cutdown day on the Vikings’ 53-man roster. pic.twitter.com/gtyecBT1ce
- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2026
So did the Vikings settle anything about the quarterback situation? Not really. If anything, they left themselves with more of a puzzle than they had when the day started.
The part that makes this especially messy is how teams usually handle the position once the regular season begins. Most clubs carry only two active quarterbacks on game day, even with the league’s emergency quarterback rule in place. That’s why it would be a surprise if Minnesota actually went into September 13 with all four on the active roster for the Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
That naturally pushes the conversation toward McCarthy’s future. A trade over the next two weeks is a real possibility, but the Vikings also don’t sound eager to simply hand him away.
What I understood last week, and remains the case: the situation here had not gotten to the point where the Vikings would just give him away.
- Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 30, 2026
So the Vikings have kept the door open, kept the roster crowded, and kicked the quarterback decision down the road. For now, the answer is still waiting.
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