The Minnesota Vikings continued the remodel of their quarterback room behind starter J.J. McCarthy with yet another move on Sunday, releasing veteran Brett Rypien, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. This comes after a trade of Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles and a deal to bring in Carson Wentz.
The Vikings now have McCarthy, Wentz and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer as quarterbacks on the roster. Minnesota reportedly loves Brosmer, and he's one of the reasons why the team was comfortable trading away Howell.
The Vikings are also in the market for a new wide receiver, with the Howell trade potentially impacting that search. A reunion with Adam Thielen has been bandied about as a possibility, though the Carolina Panthers have been stingy in these talks.
Vikings' new QB room
McCarthy is set to make his NFL debut as Minnesota's starter this season after missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury. The Vikings enjoyed a lot of success with Sam Darnold under center in 2024, but they believed enough in McCarthy, the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, to turn over the keys to him.
But as high as Kevin O'Connell and Minnesota are about McCarthy, there are plenty of question marks. So, it's imperative to have a strong quarterback room behind the Michigan product. The Vikings clearly didn't like what they saw with Howell leading up to the regular season, and now they'll be going with Wentz and Brosmer behind McCarthy. Wentz spent last season as Patrick Mahomes' backup on the Kansas City Chiefs.
As for Rypien, he has bounced around the NFL since coming into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Rypien signed with the Vikings last offseason but didn't play in a game in the 2024 season. He was waived to make room for Daniel Jones but re-signed to their practice squad.
Rypien completed just 15 out of 29 pass attempts for 151 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception in the preseason.
