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The 2026 QB situation for the Minnesota Vikings only appears for this upcoming season. With Kyler Murray on a one-year contract and J.J. McCarthy on his rookie deal, the Vikings don’t have a lot of financial commitment to the two players vying for the starting job.

Minnesota’s best-case scenario is one in which Murray or McCarthy wins the job and runs away with it, leading the Vikings back to the playoffs and becoming the starter for the foreseeable future.

However, there’s also the possibility that neither impresses. Murray’s struggles, which led the Arizona Cardinals to cut ties with him, could carry over to Minnesota. Then there’s McCarthy not snapping out of his poor play, which led the Vikings to sign Murray as competition.

If the worst-case scenario were to happen, Minnesota would have to return to the drawing board regarding the QB position.

As a result, FanSided’s Alicia de Artola sees the Vikings as an ideal destination for Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, whose future after this upcoming season is uncertain, given his massive cap hit and the lack of a contract in place beyond the 2027 season.

“The Minnesota Vikings signed Kyler Murray to a one-year deal and look all set to continue their pattern of letting Kevin O’Connell work his magic on a distressed asset,” de Artola wrote in a May 9 article.

“Murray isn’t Jackson though. Instead of restoring a piece of furniture they found in a back alley, Minnesota could try bringing in an actual star and reopening their Super Bowl window.

“O’Connell is too good a head coach to let the Vikings slip into one of the draft slots that could give them a franchise QB. Going out and getting him a readymade one could actually give the team the boost they need to contend.”

Lamar Jackson Would Want a Potential Vikings Move

Jackson will have a $84.49 million cap hit next season, which would be the third-highest in the league, and is eyeing a new contract, per ESPN.

Depending on how their season goes, the Ravens could decide against a long-term financial commitment, potentially leading to a trade, which goes back to de Artola naming the Vikings as a possible landing spot.

Moreover, de Artola notes why a move would make sense for Jackson, given that he’d have a clear No. 1 wideout. Still, she does mention that until the Vikings hire a general manager, it’s tough to see what the long-term plans could be in Minnesota.

“If I’m Jackson, I’m looking at the Vikings and salivating,” de Artola wrote. “A QB whisperer like O’Connell? A receiving corps led by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison? Sign me up. Would the Vikings actually bite? Well, they have to actually hire a GM first, so Jackson may have to keep dreaming.”

Vikings Long-Term Plans Cloudy Until New GM is Hired

For now, the Vikings can only live in the short term and then go from there. Minnesota did garner cap relief after trading Jonathan Greenard during the 2026 NFL Draft. Nonetheless, after being a little reckless with their finances, the Vikings appear to want to be more prudent with their cap space spending.

It will be interesting to see how the Vikings QB situation develops this upcoming season, whether they get the best-case scenario and don’t have to worry about the signal-caller role, or if the new general manager needs to add that to his to-do list in 2027.