The Vikings learned a few things Sunday in their 27–24 upset win over the Lions at Ford Field.
One, they shook off a couple of incompetent performances the past few weeks and are back in the playoff race with a 4–4 record. And two, they’ve got themselves a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy. The former No. 10 pick played well in his third career start, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another to improve to 2–1 as a starter.
As was the plan entering the season, McCarthy will be the starter under center moving forward. Behind him on the depth chart, however, things get a bit murky. Backup quarterback Max Brosmer, who signed as an undrafted free agent in April, looks like an intriguing prospect. But should McCarthy miss more time, the Vikings’ locker room has too much talent to put all the pressure on a 24-year-old who played just one full season against FBS opponents in his collegiate career.
Over the weekend, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Vikings are, indeed, in the market to add a quarterback to back up McCarthy. Here’s a look at four options they could target:
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Kirk Cousins, Falcons
I mean, c’mon. The storylines write themselves.
Cousins left Minnesota for the Falcons in free agency because the Vikings were set on drafting a quarterback in 2024 and he wanted more long-term stability as the starter. Fast forward a couple of months, and Cousins found himself in the exact same situation in Atlanta—only it was behind Michael Penix Jr., not McCarthy.
Cousins, who lost the starting job to Penix late last season, started one game for the Falcons this year. In an ugly 34–10 loss to the Dolphins, Cousins threw for 173 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions on 21-of-31 passing. He’s clearly not the same quarterback as he was before tearing his Achilles at Lambeau Field in October 2023, but perhaps that’s a good thing for the sake of this trade. Nobody would be calling for Cousins to start while McCarthy goes through growing pains, and if called upon, he already has built-in chemistry with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and the rest of Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
Schefter did report over the weekend that the Falcons “haven’t shown any willingness” to trade Cousins, but hey, crazier things have happened.
Russell Wilson, Giants
Could “Mr. Unlimited” be on the move?
Wilson started three games for the Giants this season before he was replaced by rookie sensation Jaxson Dart in Week 4. His stint as the starter was hard on the eyes, although out of nowhere he had one of the best statistical games of his career in the Giants’ 40–37 overtime loss to the Cowboys in Week 2, throwing for 450 yards and three scores. Aside from that stellar performance, Wilson struggled. The boo birds at MetLife Stadium were out early and often calling for Wilson to be benched.
Wilson might be the exact type of backup the Vikings need: an experienced veteran who could aid McCarthy’s development and randomly throw for 450 yards in a game when his number is called ... as long as it gets called for a matchup against the Cowboys’ dreadful defense.
Jameis Winston, Giants
Look, the 2–7 Giants don’t need all these quarterbacks. Right? If Wilson’s not on the trade block, the Vikings should make the call for Winston, one of the NFL’s top modern day gunslingers.
The beauty of Winston’s game is he could throw for five touchdowns and/or five interceptions in a game and not bat an eye. His reckless style of play isn’t sustainable over a 17-game season, but if McCarthy misses more time, Winston could easily get hot for a few games and keep the Vikings’ playoff hopes alive.
Plus, McCarthy was seen after the win over the Lions on Sunday throwing up a “W” on his way to the locker room. Why not put him in the same quarterbacks room as the man who invented the “eating a W” celebration?
Yessir that's a dub! pic.twitter.com/J4gomm0leS
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 3, 2025
Cooper Rush, Ravens
Rush was dreadful in two starts for Baltimore earlier this year, throwing four interceptions and no touchdowns in ugly losses to the Texans and Rams. He lost his job as Lamar Jackson’s backup to Snoop Huntley, who led the Ravens to a 30–16 win over the Bears in Week 8.
With Jackson back in the fold and Huntley as a proven backup, Rush is the odd man out.
At 31, Rush would be the Vikings’ oldest active player in their quarterbacks room by seven years. Despite the rough showing this year, he isn’t too far removed from solid quarterback play. In 2022, Rush went 4–1 during a memorable five-week stretch as the Cowboys’ starter. Last year, Rush logged an 83.8 passer rating in eight starts for Dallas, throwing 12 touchdowns and four interceptions and leading the Cowboys to a 4–4 record in that span.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Quarterbacks the Vikings Could Target at 2025 NFL Trade Deadline.