After Passing on Will Levis, What's the Vikings' Long-Term Plan at Quarterback?

The Vikings could've taken Levis with the 23rd pick, but chose not to.

With the Vikings on the clock at pick No. 23 in the first round on Thursday night, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis was there for the taking. After three quarterbacks went in the top four picks, no team had taken a chance on Levis, who sat anxiously in the draft room as television producers showed him on their broadcasts over and over.

The Vikings did a ton of work on the quarterbacks in this draft class. They met with Levis at the combine. Their starter, Kirk Cousins, turns 35 this summer and is under contract for just one more season, so they were in position to potentially draft a passer in the first round and let them sit and develop for a year.

Instead, they became just the latest team to pass on Levis, as they chose to select USC wide receiver Jordan Addison. Rather than draft Cousins' successor, they added another weapon for him to throw the ball to this fall. Taking Addison continues to improve the surroundings for Cousins' eventual replacement, but in passing on Levis, the Vikings delayed the decision on who that player will be.

Clearly, the Vikings don't believe Levis will become a star in the NFL, and they weren't alone; Levis fell out of the first round entirely. Minnesota didn't take a quarterback just to take a quarterback. With a decision of that magnitude, it was going to have to be the right player. C.J. Stroud went second overall. Anthony Richardson went fourth. The Vikings weren't really in position to move up that high. It would've cost a fortune.

So what happens next for the Vikings at the sport's most important position?

The nice thing about having Cousins under contract for another year is the Vikings didn't feel like they had to take a QB. They may still take a chance on one later in this draft, but the odds of finding a potential franchise guy outside of the first round aren't great.

"Look, ultimately the highest probability (quarterbacks to hit) are those (first-rounders), and you've got to bet on your ability if you take it outside of those to identify, develop, and then also there's plenty of other avenues," GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said on Thursday night. "Again, I think we know that's the most important position. We have an incredibly good one right now, and we'll see what happens after that."

Levis and Tennessee's Hendon Hooker are still on the board, but both figure to be taken somewhat quickly once the second round gets underway on Friday evening. The Vikings, who don't pick until No. 87 overall in the third round and currently have just four picks remaining, could perhaps take a swing on one of the many quarterbacks that could go during Day 3 on Saturday. Those are QBs like Jake Haener, Jaren Hall, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Aidan O'Connell, Clayton Tune, Tanner McKee, and Stetson Bennett.

"I think as I evaluated really the whole (QB) class for this year, there was a lot to be excited about," Kevin O'Connell said. "I think that goes for what lies ahead as far as what potentially could be there. We don't have a ton of picks. We need to be really aware of — regardless of the position we take, we've got to have a real plan not only for how that player will impact our team this year but moving forward."

If the Vikings don't draft a quarterback at all this year, or even if they take a flier on one in the late rounds, they still need to come up with an eventual long-term answer to that critically important question.

Could a trade for the 49ers' Trey Lance still be a potential option? Would the Vikings aggressively trade up for a quarterback in next year's draft? Could a new contract with Cousins for the 2024 season be on the table if he shines this year?

The Vikings didn't need to take Levis. They have time to continue figuring out their plan at quarterback for the '24 campaign and beyond. But at least to some degree, the clock is ticking.

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