The Minnesota Vikings have turned to a familiar veteran to back up rookie starter J.J. McCarthy.
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According to multiple reports, the Vikings have signed Carson Wentz after trading Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz worked out for Minnesota over the weekend before agreeing to terms.
Philadelphia will send a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for Howell and a 2026 sixth-rounder.
For Howell, it is another stop in what has already been a whirlwind start to his NFL career. A fifth-round pick in 2022, he started all 17 games for Washington in 2023, leading the league in attempts (612), interceptions (21) and sacks taken (65). He was dealt to Seattle last season, where he appeared in two games, and then traded again to Minnesota in April. Now, just months later, he heads to Philadelphia in the final year of his rookie deal.
Wentz, 32, is no stranger to the NFC. The former No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 draft spent his first five seasons with the Eagles, guiding them to an 11-2 start in their eventual Super Bowl run in 2017 before a late injury sidelined him. Since then, he has become one of the league's most-traveled quarterbacks, spending time with the Colts, Commanders, Rams and Chiefs.
He served as Patrick Mahomes' backup in Kansas City last season, starting the Week 18 finale against the Chargers with the AFC's top seed already clinched. Wentz completed 12 of 19 passes for 118 yards in that appearance, one of three games he played for the Chiefs.
The Vikings, who selected McCarthy fifth overall in April, have now solidified their quarterback depth chart with Wentz as the No. 2 option. For Minnesota, the move brings stability behind their rookie. For Wentz, it is yet another chance to extend a career that once began with MVP-caliber promise in Philadelphia.
