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Vikings Big QB Rumor Takes Center Stage after SNF
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- Vikings Big QB Rumor Takes Center Stage after SNF
Charles LeClaire
The Baltimore Ravens needed a 44-yard field goal to win the AFC North and host a home playoff game against the Houston Texans in the Wildcard Round of the postseason. Instead, kicker Tyler Loop missed the kick, the Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to the playoffs, and quarterback Lamar Jackson 's future flew straight up in the air. Incidentally, just a week ago, Jackson was tied to the Minnesota Vikings in the rumor mill .
The Ravens' collapse has sparked speculation about Jackson's future in Baltimore and whether the Vikings could realistically trade for him.
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Had Loop made the kick, Jackson and his Ravens would have embarked on a playoff run that probably would have dampened all rumors about his departure. The opposite happened, and Jackson-to-Vikings rumors will stay alive for a couple of months.
SNF Fallout Brings the Lamar Jackson Rumors to Surface
Lamar Jackson misses the playoffs , bolstering his case for a change of scenery.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson goes through pregame practice on Jan. 4, 2026, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, preparing for kickoff. The scene showed Jackson working through his routine amid winter conditions, a snapshot of focus as Baltimore finalized its approach ahead of a road test late in the regular season. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images.
Ravens Miss the Postseason
In a thriller of a game, the Steelers outlasted the Ravens because of a missed field goal. Loop missed, and that was that on Baltimore's playoff aspirations.
Loop said about the miss, "For it to end like that sucks, and I want to do better. Unfortunately, the nature of the job is you have makes, and those are awesome, and unfortunately, you have misses, and for that to happen tonight sucks."
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"The second it made contact with my foot, I felt it lower. We talk about hitting on the fourth lace of the shoe. It felt a little lower down the foot and hit it thin."
Loop will have all offseason to contemplate the blunder, while the Ravens face questions and a decision on Jackson's future.
In theory, if the Ravens traded Jackson before June 1st, they'd eat just over $57 million in dead cap funds .
An Out-of-Nowhere Vikings Rumor
Just over a week ago, The Athletic 's Mike Sando connected Jackson to Minnesota. You can read that theory here .
If Minnesota somehow landed Lamar Jackson — or even Joe Burrow , whose name keeps floating around the same rumor orbit — the Vikings would jump straight into the Super Bowl conversation . The Vikings' depth chart was good enough in 2025. The quarterback play was not.
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The clearest proof came on Christmas Day. Minnesota beat Detroit by 13 while finishing with three net passing yards. Not a typo there, either. A 9–8 season built on that kind of quarterback efficiency tells you how much margin exists if the position ever stabilizes.
Still, one must think sensibly about a Jackson trade. Baltimore will likely keep Jackson, the price will stay prohibitive, and the chatter will diminish.
SI.com 's Joe Nelson on the Jackson-to-Minnesota scenario : "If it comes to the point where the Vikings are a possible trade partner with the Ravens, the elephant in the room becomes Jackson's contract. He has two years left on his deal, and acquiring him and his $74.5 million cap hits in 2026 and 2027 will be extremely difficult for a Vikings team that is projected to be $36.4 million over next season's salary cap."
"What would a trade even look like? McCarthy and multiple first-round picks for Jackson? Baltimore could get value, but the Vikings would be in a world of salary cap pain and lacking draft capital to build around Jackson and Justin Jefferson . The Vikings have numerous needs and limited cap space, so shedding draft picks would hurt the overall roster."
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Vikings' Big Decision on J.J. McCarthy
Two months ago, the concern with McCarthy wasn't all that abstract. It was a performance problem. He came back from a high ankle sprain, flashed briefly against Detroit, then unraveled before a concussion knocked him out for a week in Seattle . He returned again and delivered his best outing of the season versus Dallas , only to follow it by injuring his hand against the Giants.
Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy speaks with reporters on Jan. 6, 2024, at the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, during media day ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship. The moment captured McCarthy in a controlled setting, addressing preparation and expectations before the title game spotlight. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports.
All of this is happening as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell head into Year 5 with no playoff wins. Two appearances, zero victories, and two seasons missing the postseason entirely. If 2026 stalls, January 2027 will be unforgiving. Both men could be canned.
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Meniscus. High ankle sprain. Concussion. Hairline hand fracture. Those are McCarthy's ailments since being drafted two years ago. He's missed 70% of Vikings games in two seasons.
Betting the Franchise on Jackson?
Almost under the radar because of his exquisite reputation, 2025 was a down year for Jackson by his own standards. He's running for under 30 yards per game for the first time, he missed four games, and finished the year ranked 15th in EPA+CPOE — a tier he usually doesn't visit. The touchdown drop-off is stark, too: 23 total scores after posting 45 a year ago.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rolls out to throw during the second half on Dec. 10, 2023, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, against the Los Angeles Rams. The play reflected Baltimore's movement-based passing design, with Jackson extending the pocket and stressing coverage during a midseason matchup. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports.
There's also a historical warning sign. Cam Newton followed a similar stylistic path from 2011 to 2021, and his decline began around age 29 or 30. That's where Jackson is on the timeline now. Any team trading for him would be betting that his arc breaks from that pattern.
Still, the Jackson rumor is more alive than ever and could have been dead on arrival if Loop made the field goal to dagger the Steelers. But that didn't happen.
