Who is Max Brosmer? Vikings' undrafted rookie QB to start vs. Seahawks

The Minnesota Vikings' quarterback conundrum has taken another intriguing twist.

Starter J.J. McCarthy will not play Nov. 30 against the Seattle Seahawks as he remains in the concussion protocol, coach Kevin O'Connell announced Nov. 28, positioning undrafted rookie Max Brosmer to take the reins to the offense in his first start.

It's a potentially challenging development for a 4-7 Vikings team that finds itself at a crossroads. McCarthy and O'Connell were facing mounting criticism for the offense's struggles, which seemed to crescendo on Sunday with the unit posting just 4 yards in the second half of a 23-6 loss to the rival Green Bay Packers. McCarthy's 57.9 passer rating is the worst of any signal-caller who has started at least two games this season.

Now, however, Minnesota will get a look at how the offense fares with another figure – albeit one who entered the season purely as a developmental option – behind center.

Here's what you need to know about Brosmer and how we got here:

Who is Max Brosmer?

The Davenport, Iowa, native spent most of his collegiate career at New Hampshire and became a Football Championship Subdivision All-American before transferring to Minnesota for the 2024 season. He threw for 2,828 yards and 18 touchdowns with six interceptions for the Golden Gophers while also setting the school single-season record for completions with 268.

That was enough to put him firmly on the radar of NFL teams, as he attended both the scouting combine and the East-West Shrine Bowl. Though he went undrafted, he caught the eye of O'Connell, who had watched Brosmer throw at Minnesota's pro day in 2024 after his transfer and again this spring.

"From a standpoint of his high football IQ, I think it 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 seven-on-seven walk-through," O'Connell told reporters in May after a rookie minicamp practice. "We're already seeing a lot of things that we really identified in Max to bring him into a quarterbacks room that we're really excited about, and I think he had a great first day."

Brosmer continued to impress in the preseason, where he completed 60.3% of his passes for 364 yards, two touchdowns and a pick, all while displaying a quick trigger.

"What I love about Max is, there were some breakdowns up front, and maybe he couldn't progress and read through concepts," O'Connell said in August after the second preseason game. "But he plays with very fast eyes and very rarely puts the ball in harm's way when he's doing it, which is a unique trait. ... Just things like that that he's done and shows consistently is why he's getting the reps that he is."

O'Connell and the Vikings were high enough on Brosmer to allot him a spot on the 53-man roster entering the season rather than placing him on the practice squad, which would have risked the quarterback being poached by another team.

Brosmer rose to a backup role when McCarthy was sidelined for five games with an ankle injury. He made his pro debut in relief of Carson Wentz in a 48-10 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, completing 2 of 4 passes for 29 yards. He went on to see action in three other games this season.

But with Wentz out for the season due to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, Brosmer now is tasked with leading the Vikings against a Seahawks defense that ranks fourth in sacks (36) and seventh in passer rating allowed (84.5).

"I think we all have a lot of confidence in Max," O'Connell said this week. "Ideally you'd love to have a bunch of runway for him to continue on his journey, but I know Max will prepare like crazy like he does every week. He's been a snap away here since Carson went on IR, and I know he feels very much prepared if called upon and he's going to go about the week as he's been doing."

Minnesota Vikings QB depth chart