The Minnesota Vikings may have just discovered their long-term QB2 behind Nick Mullens in undrafted free agent Max Brosmer. Sawyer, at only 24 years old, spent part of last season on their active roster. Now Brosmer has a six-year college career in the rearview mirror. His deep football intellect should be a huge asset to the team while they build out their quarterback depth. That stellar play in rookie minicamp caught the eye of Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and something must’ve clicked. This was all the more astounding when paired with his underwhelming college career.
Brosmer’s introduction to the Vikings started when he stepped foot on Minnesota’s campus last spring. Almost immediately, he participated in the team’s pro day, showcasing his skills and drawing O’Connell’s interest. In Brosmer’s collegiate career, he attempted more than double the amount of passes as co-QB J.J. McCarthy. That intense workload led him to focus on gaining tons of practical reps on the field.
In his postgraduate campaign at Minnesota, Brosmer passed for 2,828 yards and 18 touchdowns, solidifying his resume. OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA — O’Connell knew Brosmer was special from the get-go and made the plan to follow him during the entire college season. Moved after seeing Brosmer perform at the Gophers’ 2025 pro day, O’Connell made his move. So Spielman invited him for a predraft visit to the Vikings’ practice facility.
“Whether I get drafted in the third round or I got drafted in the seventh round or I go undrafted,” – Max Brosmer
Brosmer’s flexibility and desire to learn shined through from day one back on campus with the team. His appointment was a boon to the process because he showed up to every single meeting and did the work. He even showed the willingness to correct himself during 7-on-7 walk-throughs. O’Connell commended Brosmer for learning the Vikings’ complex offensive system rather quickly. He praised Brosmer’s skill at taking big ideas and translating them into executable plans with great effectiveness.
“Shows up when he can really arrive here, spend a couple hours in meetings, and he’s out there making corrections in the middle of a 7-on-7 walk-through leading into a period,” – Kevin O’Connell
During the Vikings’ rookie minicamp opener, Brosmer received the majority of the work, demonstrating his potential under O’Connell’s detailed coaching methods. After almost every rep, the QB was given immediate feedback from O’Connell, Josh McCown, or Jordan Traylor. This near-constant feedback gave him the opportunity to hone his craft like few others.
Even after throwing two straight picks in one drill at rookie minicamp, Brosmer was a standout enough that O’Connell was impressed by his outing. His head coach reinforced that a lot of Brosmer’s specialties showed up all day during the training.
“A lot of [Brosmer’s skills] were on display [Friday],” – Kevin O’Connell
O’Connell noted that Brosmer is well established as a dual threat QB. He described Brosmer as “a pretty efficient thrower of the football” with good fundamentals and technique. Even with a tight or nonexistent pocket, Brosmer showed the ability to whip his arm and create tons of rotation and spin on his passes.
“The starting point of just being a pretty efficient thrower of the football from a standpoint of fundamentals, technique, his ability to generate some pretty good revolutions and RPMs on the ball with pretty limited movement in the pocket,” – Kevin O’Connell
It’s astonishing where the path has taken Brosmer. Recent rule changes in college football have opened the door for pro day participation from non-draft eligible players, further boosting the spectacle. These improvements put him in position to really catch the Vikings’ attention.
“They allow [non-draft eligible players] now to throw, which is a huge thing,” – Kevin O’Connell
Brosmer himself, looking back at his time in practice, mentioned how technology to provide immediate feedback was a complete shock to him.
“I didn’t realize there were screens out here replaying the play right away,” – Max Brosmer
As training camp progresses, both Brosmer and the Vikings will continue to evaluate his readiness for potential roles within the team’s quarterback lineup. O’Connell is hopeful about being able to make firm judgements as they weigh their choices.
“Hopefully we can evaluate a little stronger,” – Kevin O’Connell
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