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Vikings Rumors Heat Up on the 2026 Schedule, Kyler Murray, the Extra QB Next Year
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- Vikings Rumors Heat Up on the 2026 Schedule, Kyler Murray, the Extra QB Next Year
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
The Vikings are down to their final Sunday of the 2025 season, closing the year at home against Green Bay with a chance to complicate the Packers' postseason positioning . Beyond that, the calendar is already tilting toward what comes next. With the offseason essentially at the doorstep, league rumor chatter around Minnesota is starting to surface in earnest.
Three threads are driving the chatter right now: who Minnesota ends up playing in 2026, how it protects itself if the QB situation wobbles again, and whether the front office is ready to treat contingency planning as mandatory.
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Here's a second snapshot of the rumors beginning to circulate as the week winds down. The first batch can be read here .
The Rumors Creating Real Pressure for Minnesota
It's the Purple Rumor Mill for December 28th, 2025.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell reacts from the sideline during the first quarter on Dec. 25, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. O'Connell tracked developments closely as Minnesota faced the Detroit Lions in a high-profile divisional matchup on Christmas Day. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Rumor: The Vikings are now likely to play a 3rd-place schedule in 2025, not a last-place menu.
Yes, because Minnesota toppled Detroit on Christmas, it moved into 3rd-Place in the division, out of the cellar where the Lions now live.
A 3rd-Place finish drops Minnesota into a tougher rotation — Indianapolis, Washington, and a heavyweight draw from the NFC West (the San Francisco 49ers or Los Angeles Rams ). A 4th-place finish softens the path, replacing those matchups with Arizona, New York, and Tennessee. Same format. Different resistance.
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Strip away the standings math, and the choice becomes obvious. One route loads the calendar with playoff-caliber opponents. The other tilts toward teams still searching for traction.
With that said, if the Vikings lose to the Green Bay Packers and the Lions fall to the Chicago Bears in Week 18, roles will reverse, with Minnesota regaining its 4th-Place schedule.
For now, though, the Vikings are starting at the Colts, Commanders, and 49ers (or Rams).
Rumor: With yet another J.J. McCarthy injury, the Kyler Murray to Minnesota theories are back up.
McCarthy's afternoon against the Giants in Week 16 ended on a routine play that turned costly. A second-quarter hand collision with a defender's helmet sent him to the sideline and then for imaging. The X-ray was clean. The long-term questions were not. What remains is the familiar gray area.
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That uncertainty has become a theme. Nearly two years into the McCarthy era , Minnesota is back in holding pattern mode, waiting for clarity that never seems to arrive on schedule. Whether he takes another snap this season is suddenly in doubt, and that pause matters given how much developmental runway has already been eaten up.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy confers with head coach Kevin O'Connell during first-half action on Sep. 14, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The two discussed adjustments on the sideline as Minnesota worked through early-game situations against the Atlanta Falcons. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
When the rubber hit the road on the details of McCarthy's injury, he indeed suffered a hairline fracture.
The larger issue, though, doesn't hinge on one injury report. There's a pattern. At this point, McCarthy's availability concerns are no longer isolated events.. And that reality may force Minnesota's hand when the offseason arrives.
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If alternatives enter the conversation, Kyler Murray will be unavoidable in league speculation. Whether that idea gains traction depends entirely on how the Vikings' leadership views McCarthy internally. Arizona hasn't won a playoff game with Murray in seven seasons, and signs continue to point toward organizational fatigue. Reports of a quiet benching in favor of Jacoby Brissett went largely unchallenged, which spoke volumes on its own.
Once the offseason hits, Murray's status — trade or release — is likely to set the tone for the quarterback market. Minnesota won't be the only team watching.
Rumor: Almost no matter what, Minnesota will need a different "other" quarterback in 2026. Mac Jones might do the trick.
The aging free-agent quarterback carousel will always be there. Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Jimmy Garoppolo — those names recycle themselves every March. Minnesota's problem isn't access. If McCarthy misses time again, the fallback option has to be capable of doing more than surviving snaps.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks with reporters during a media session on Mar. 26, 2025, at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan. Adofo-Mensah addressed early free agency activity and outlined priorities as Minnesota prepared for the upcoming NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Minnesota Vikings
That's where Mac Jones fits. He's under contract in San Francisco, and Brock Purdy's own durability questions may keep general manager John Lynch from rushing a decision. But Jones isn't a long-term backup by temperament. If he sees a path to starting somewhere in 2026, pressure will follow — quietly or otherwise.
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Among the available upside bets, Jones makes the most sense. He can function within a hierarchy if McCarthy holds the job, but he also has enough functional ceiling to matter if circumstances change. His 2025 production, stretched across a full season, reflects that reality — volume, efficiency, mistakes included.
This is Jones' 2025 output this year scaled to 17 games:
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4,570 Passing Yards
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28 Passing TDs
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13 INTs
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69.6% Completion
If not Jones, the profile remains the same. Will Levis. Spencer Rattler. Malik Willis. Younger quarterbacks who aren't finished products. Minnesota may not want a quarterback competition, but McCarthy's injury woes may mandate it.
