The Minnesota Vikings are in decent shape at quarterback heading into the season, with two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray in-house on a league minimum contract and former No. 10 overall pick JJ McCarthy set to compete with him for starting reps over the course of the summer.
But there are few scenarios that might play out in which Minnesota is set at the position with one of those players for years to come.
Because of that, a significant NCAA ruling on Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is of particular note in Minnesota. The NCAA will not reinstate Sorsby after revoking his eligibility for the 2026 campaign due to his gambling on college football games while a redshirt freshman at Indiana in 2022.
He played one game that season and threw just six passes. Sorsby never bet on a contest in which he participated, and he never wagered on the Hoosiers to lose.
But none of those facts were enough to save the 22-year-old quarterback from his punishment, which is going to void the $5 million that the Red Raiders planned to pay him for the upcoming campaign.
Several reports indicate that Sorsby and his legal team will appeal the ruling, but likely to no avail. That almost certainly means he is bound for the supplemental draft in July, which Jason LaCanfora of SportsBoom reported on Wednesday, May 27.
“Multiple executives said that Sorsby’s talent would lead him to be selected; a team that took Sorsby in a particular round in the supplemental draft would forfeit that pick in the 2027 spring draft,” LaCanfora wrote.
Given Sorsby’s talent and how difficult it is to trade for a high-end QB/find one in free agency, the Vikings must take any chance to acquire a player like him seriously.
Vikings May Struggle to Justify Re-Signing Kyler Murray in 2027 Whether He Plays Well, Poorly
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray.
The Vikings enter seriously into the conversation at this point, given the uncertain future the team faces under center.
If Murray plays poorly and/or doesn’t adjust well to head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system, Minnesota isn’t going to pay him substantially to come back in 2027 and beyond.
If he does play well, he hits free agency and potentially creates a bidding war between the Vikings and other teams for an undersized QB with a meaningful injury history who, at that point, will be on the wrong side of 30.
The only solid path for McCarthy to regain the starting job is either beating out Murray this summer, which appears unlikely, or Murray suffering an injury. The Vikings saw enough of McCarthy in 10 starts last season, which was marred by injury after he missed the entirety of his rookie campaign with a knee issue, to sign Murray in the spring.
McCarthy went 6-4 as a starter in 2025 and completed just 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs.
Brendan Sorsby Represents Chance at Franchise QB That Vikings May Not Get Otherwise
GettyTexas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
A reasonable chance exists that Murray and/or McCarthy will play well enough in 2026 — when they will be surrounded by talented offensive players and what was a top-three NFL defense last season — to keep Minnesota in the hunt for the NFC North Division and/or playoffs this year.
That probably means the Vikings will play themselves out of a chance to draft one of the top QBs in the lauded 2027 class. Beyond that, teams don’t typically trade top-10/15 QBs in their primes, or let them hit the open market.
LaCanfora’s league sources believe that Sorsby, who threw for 2,800 yards, 27 TDs and 5 INTs on 61.6 percent passing last season, has the talent to break into the top-five picks of next year’s draft.
However, since he won’t likely be in next year’s draft, teams that aren’t at the bottom of the current NFL food chain, such as the Vikings, have a chance to acquire him less than two months from now.
“It’s like getting him a year early (instead of the 2027 building), and no one who takes him is going to expect him to play (in 2026),” one league executive told LaCanfora. “He’s a big kid with an accurate arm and a quick release who can push the ball down the field.”
Sorsby has the prototypical build and skill set that O’Connell prefers and has worked with most frequently, so a serious debate exists as to whether it is worth it to Minnesota to make a high bid on Sorsby for this summer’s supplemental draft — perhaps putting even a first- or second-rounder on the line for a chance at a franchise QB.
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