Vikings cut Max Brosmer, trimming a four-quarterback active roster

Minnesota moved to reset its quarterback depth chart on Monday, waiving Max Brosmer in a roster decision that arrived shortly after the Vikings carried four quarterbacks on the active roster. The move ends what had appeared to be an opportunity for Brosmer to remain in the team’s game-day mix, even as the Vikings continue to build a stable, top-of-the-chart option for 2026.

The Vikings’ active-roster quarterback picture included Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy, alongside Brosmer, with team management confirming earlier in August that Murray won out for the starting job over McCarthy. In the span of days, that broader approach to roster construction, carrying multiple quarterbacks with different skill sets and experience, appears to have narrowed again.

Waiving a quarterback has a clear procedural meaning in the NFL. Brosmer becomes available to other teams via waivers, giving them the chance to claim him or prioritize interest based on need. For Minnesota, it also reduces the number of roster spots required for quarterback depth at a moment when every active roster spot has to serve a role, whether on game day or as a practice-squad pipeline.

While details about the Vikings’ internal evaluation of Brosmer were not provided in the report, the transaction fits a common pattern during the early portion of the regular season cycle, when teams experiment with short-term depth chart structure. The Vikings’ decision to carry four quarterbacks briefly suggests that Minnesota was balancing immediate readiness with preparation for how the rest of the roster would shake out.

For Brosmer, the waiver window is the next step. If another team claims him, the decision likely reflects a specific fit, such as a developmental project in a new system, insurance behind an established starter, or an opportunity to compete for a backup role elsewhere. If he clears waivers, Minnesota would have additional options involving its remaining roster mechanisms, though the exact next status was not detailed in the report.

From the Vikings’ perspective, the key question is how the quarterback hierarchy will function after Brosmer’s departure. With Murray positioned as the confirmed starter and McCarthy and Wentz still part of the active-roster picture, Minnesota can focus reps and preparations around fewer quarterbacks while maintaining depth through the remaining group.

What to watch next is whether Brosmer is claimed quickly and whether the Vikings adjust how their remaining quarterbacks are deployed in practice and on game-day plan work. In a tight season-to-season evaluation window, small roster swings like this can report how a team wants its quarterback room to look when the games become harder to simulate in full-speed preparation.