Vikings elevate new backup QB before Max Brosmer start

The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback roller coaster takes another sharp turn this week. With JJ McCarthy still in the concussion protocol and officially ruled out, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will make his first NFL start on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, stepping into a spotlight the organization originally hoped would belong to McCarthy in a smoother 2025 debut.

The matchup only adds drama, with Brosmer facing the very quarterback Minnesota let walk, Sam Darnold, who now has Seattle sitting at 8-3 while the Vikings limp in at 4-7.

To support the new starter, the Vikings have turned to a familiar NFL safety net. As Adam Schefter reported, Minnesota elevated quarterback John Wolford from the practice squad to serve as Brosmer’s backup for Sunday’s game in Seattle.

It is a straightforward move, but an important one: a veteran presence in the room and on the sideline while an undrafted rookie tries to navigate one of the league’s better secondaries on the road.

Brosmer’s path here has been anything but conventional. He shredded FCS defenses at New Hampshire, leading the subdivision in passing yards in his final season before transferring to Minnesota and breaking the Gophers’ single-season completions record.

That production earned him a shot as a pro, but only in a depth role. Through four appearances this year, he has attempted just eight passes for the Vikings, mostly in mop-up duty. Now he goes from footnote to focal point in a single week, with Seattle’s aggressive back end waiting.

McCarthy’s accuracy and decision-making have been major issues, and while a benching might be justified on performance alone, coaches are wrestling with how to balance protecting the team now and salvaging their presumed quarterback of the future.

For Sunday, though, the equation is simple. Brosmer gets the reins, Wolford dresses as insurance, and the Vikings try to steal a road win while McCarthy recovers and regroups.

How Brosmer handles this audition may not only shape the rest of Minnesota’s season, but also how aggressively the front office approaches the position again in 2026.

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