Long-Time Starter Mentioned as Vikings QB Option

Because the Minnesota Vikings’ general manager and head coach said last week that they want a deep quarterback room in 2026, the offseason almost feels like 2024, when fans weren’t too sure who the quarterback would be at the start of the season. Theories are flying everywhere, and thanks to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, another idea has entered the mix: a trade for Geno Smith.

Smith offers modest upside, but cost, age, and the McCarthy timeline would control whether the idea ever gets real.

Smith isn’t the most scintillating option ever, but he’d be a grown-up in the quarterback room if that’s what Minnesota wants next season.

Does Geno Smith Make Sense as a Vikings QB Option?

ESPN introduces Smith to the Vikings’ rumor mill.

Seifert on Vikings’ QB Strategy, Smith

The Vikings’ quarterback situation is near the top of the team’s offseason discourse right now, and Seifert opined on the topic last week.

He wrote, “Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell made clear this week that they can’t count on that progress, after seeing the results of counting on it in 2025. It’s an understandable assessment. But quarterback acquisition is hard. The Vikings had a solid plan in 2025 and couldn’t execute it. Can they be better with their next opportunity? Their 2026 season almost certainly depends on it.”

Seifert then mentioned some familiar quarterback theories for the 2026 Vikings: Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa (if the money somehow worked out). But Smith got the call, too.

“The San Francisco 49ers’ Mac Jones and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Geno Smith could be available via trade, and the Miami Dolphins might part ways with Tua Tagovailoa. Jones has been a backup for two seasons, Smith ranked No. 27 in NFL QBR this season, and Tagovailoa ranked No. 26,” he scribed.

So, unofficially, add Smith to Minnesota’s large quarterback rumor mill.

Smith’s Resume

Smith has started 98 games in the NFL since 2013, and his teams have compiled a 42-56 record on his watch. He averages about 203 passing yards per game and has a career touchdown-to-interception split of 124-89. He’s also scampered for 12 scores in his career.

Seattle anointed him the starter at the beginning of the 2022 season, a job he held for three seasons before venturing to Las Vegas. Here’s his NFL ranking among all quarterbacks per EPA+CPOE in the last four seasons:

• 2022: 7th
• 2023: 14th
• 2024: 15th
• 2025: 28th

In 2022, Smith popped off for 4,282 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.

Irony of the Sam Darnold Situation

While it’s unclear whether the Vikings will investigate a Smith trade per the Seifert article, there’s a bit of irony if so.

Minnesota [now notoriously] said goodbye to Sam Darnold in the 2025 offseason, opting to roll with J.J. McCarthy, rather than paying Darnold $100.5 million over three seasons. Darnold and his Seahawks are now in the NFC Championship, while the Vikings are studying free agency and draftboards.

But Darnold’s new team, the Seahawks, got rid of Smith to pursue Darnold. In this regard, Minnesota will have offloaded Darnold just to end up with Smith two years later. It would almost feel like a de facto 2025 offseason trade.

Pro Football Focus‘s Bradley Locker noted on Smith this week, “Point blank, Smith played like one of the worst quarterbacks in football this season. His 58.2 PFF passing grade was the second-lowest among qualifiers, and his 3.0% big-time throw rate was the third-worst in that group. Smith was also woeful under pressure, posting a league-worst 28.8 passing grade in such situations.”

“With Las Vegas holding the No. 1 overall pick — and with that selection overwhelmingly likely to be Fernando Mendoza — Smith is expected to enter 2026 as the team’s backup. However, he’d be a very expensive one in the first year of a two-year, $75 million extension. Smith’s 2023 and 2024 seasons, where he recorded an 86.1 passing grade, could warrant another chance in a desperate quarterback market.”

Insurance for McCarthy

Availability wasn’t McCarthy’s only issue this season, but it became the underlying fear as the year ended. When he returned from the high ankle sprain midseason, the flashes were there — most notably against Detroit, Washington, Dallas, and New York. But before his turnaround, McCarthy played miserably outside of a few clutch moments. It’s why he finished 2025 as the NFL’s single-worst passer per EPA+CPOE.

He produced the cleanest tape of the year against Washington and Dallas, two defenses that offered little resistance. Then that didn’t last. A hand injury against the Giants created yet another stoppage in a season.

By year’s end, the list told the story: torn meniscus, high ankle sprain, concussion, hand fracture. Whether it’s reckless play or sheer misfortune is a bit irrelevant. McCarthy must find a way to stay healthy.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell enter 2026 with two playoff trips, zero postseason wins, and a shrinking margin for error. The grace is waning. If next season doesn’t deliver real progress, Black Monday could claim their jobs.

So, to prepare for the worst — more injuries or poor performance — the Vikings will sign or trade for a reputable passer this offseason. It feels like a foregone conclusion.

And now, thanks to ESPN, Smith is an option for the general public to consider.