The Vikings went into this offseason with real interest in Max Brosmer, enough to make the former University of Minnesota quarterback a priority free-agent signing after the 2025 NFL Draft. They liked him enough to give him a look in seven games last season, including two starts.
But the early returns haven’t given Minnesota much reason to feel good about where things stand now. Brosmer, an undrafted free agent with modest expectations, threw 71 passes as a rookie and didn’t record a touchdown. He did throw four interceptions.
For a while, the focus in the quarterback room was on the battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy. Even after that competition settled, the Vikings were still left sorting out the depth behind them, with Brosmer and veteran Carson Wentz in the mix.
Brosmer is just 25, so the door is hardly closed on him as a prospect. At 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds, he still has time to grow into the job. The bigger issue for Minnesota is what to do with him right now while he continues learning and developing.
Saturday’s preseason opener against the New York Giants didn’t help his standing. If anything, it made the picture look clearer.
When the game was there to be won, Kevin O’Connell leaned on Wentz. Brosmer attempted two passes, completed one for six yards, and then Wentz came back in to close things out, finishing 9-of-14 for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Brosmer’s night also ended early because of a thumb injury. He entered in the third quarter but came out after just three plays on one drive. O’Connell said the second-year passer wanted to go back in, but the team decided it was safer to keep him out.
That leaves Brosmer sitting at the bottom of the Vikings’ quarterback order for now. Saturday was a chance to make the QB3 conversation more interesting and chip away at the gap between himself and Wentz. Instead, Wentz looked sharper and widened that separation.
Minnesota is not likely to carry four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, so Brosmer has work to do if he wants to stick. Right now, he hasn’t done enough to force the issue. The other question is whether the Vikings feel comfortable trying to sneak him through to the practice squad.
That creates the gamble: cut Brosmer and hope he clears waivers, or keep him on the roster and use the remaining preseason chances to protect him from another team. Either way, the clock is ticking, and he has limited time left to make the coaching staff think twice before final roster cuts for the 2026 NFL season.
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