Inside The Vikings

Rapoport: Vikings 'hope they don't need' Ryan Tannehill at QB

Tannehill didn't play in the NFL in 2024 but he remains a possibility for QB-needy teams in 2025.

Joe Nelson

Dec 24, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Dec 24, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
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A report from Jordan Schultz last week said the Minnesota Vikings have had conversations with free agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but rival insider Ian Rapoport is suggesting that Tannehill could be a last resort for a Vikings team that is focused on moving ahead with J.J. McCarthy.

"Pelissero's right, that it is J.J. McCarthy's team going forward. He's going to be the guy in OTAs, he's going to get the reps," Rapoport said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show.

Wait. Couldn't Tannehill sign with Minnesota as McCarthy's backup? Rapoport indicated that a backup QB job isn't something Tannehill is going to be interested in.

"The Tannehill conversations ... if there was any conversation, it was more like, 'Alright, might you theoretically be available if we need you?' Because Ryan Tannehill sat all last year. I think (he) would probably come back for an opportunity to start for an awesome team and maybe make some decent bridge quarterback money — maybe 10 or 15 (million), something like that," Rapoport said.

"I don't get the sense that anything's imminent and I think (the Vikings) hope that they don't need him. Because the hope is, your future is now, roll with J.J. McCarthy, who's really talented, and just move forward from there."

For now, the Aaron Rodgers rumors have died down, but the Vikings still appear to be in the market for a backup quarterback. Free agent QBs still available, in addition to Rodgers and Tannehill, include the likes of Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz, Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock, and Trey Lance, among others.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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