The Vikings were headed for controversy if they had added either Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins to their quarterback room this offseason.
The ultra ego Rodgers would have landed here surrounded by paparazzi, with immediate expectations to replace 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy as the 2025 season starter. Cousins would have likely been willing to be McCarthy’s backup but as soon as the inexperienced QB had a difficult stretch, fans would have been in revolt and chanting Kirk’s name.
The Vikings saved millions of dollars in payroll by not pursuing the two veterans. They also negated the potential soap opera of having a former star quarterback either replacing or at least looking over McCarthy’s shoulder. In a worst-case scenario, the tumult could have even disrupted the kumbaya in the locker room.
Instead, the Vikings made a trade last week with the Seahawks for 24-year-old Sam Howell, a rather obscure NFL player who has played in 20 games in three years, including two last season. He could walk through the airport here and no one would recognize him. And in a sense, that’s the point.
Howell is clearly arriving at TCO Performance Center to be a reserve, a guy with limited starting experience to backup McCarthy. Howell was a 2022 fifth round draft choice of the Commanders. He started one game his rookie season, then 17 in 2023 throwing 21 touchdown passes and 21 picks. He led the league in passing attempts, interceptions and sacks (65).
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and QB coach Josh McCown excel in developing quarterbacks. Just ask Sam Darnold, the journeyman who had the best NFL season of his life leading the 2024 Vikings. Now the prime students are McCarthy and Howell who played in one game for the Seahawks last season.
McCarthy’s skills have intrigued the Vikings since before they selected him No. 10 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Injured all of last season, he’s destined to start his first NFL games in September and to do it without a marquee name drawing attention away from him.
Howell’s career is in need of rehab. The former North Carolina QB was traded by the Commanders last year and played in two games, attempting 14 passes. With “Doctor” O’Connell, he will no doubt get a thorough evaluation from arm angle on his throws to his progressions as plays develop.
Worth Noting
The Wild lost a second consecutive overtime game to the Golden Knights last evening in Las Vegas. It looked like Minnesota would win 3-2 with a goal late in the third period only to have a video replay negate the score by Ryan Hartman. Teammate Gustav Nyquist was offside on the play.
Minnesota icon Lou Nanne was prophetic talking to Sports Headliners about the importance of “little things” prior to the game where the Wild was trying to go ahead 3-2 in the best of seven playoff series. “You gotta be sharp all the time. You gotta be thinking every time you’re on the ice. You gotta be aware of what’s going on.”

The Wild had to play the third period and overtime with Marc-Andre Fleury, the backup to Filip Gustavvson who had to leave the game because of illness. Nanne labeled Gustavvson the best goalie in the series and Kirill Kaprizov, with five goals in five games, the “best player on either team.’
Asked to compare the rosters of Vegas and Minnesota, he said the Knights are deeper and then added: “Pretty well balanced. It’s just that they are bigger and they are stronger. But I think it’s a good match for us. We have as much opportunity to win as they do.”
To win the series, the Wild will need to rally with victories Thursday night in the Twin Cities and Saturday in Las Vegas.
The Timberwolves, leading 3-1 in their playoff series against the Lakers, are about five-point underdogs tonight in Los Angeles. Worry if you wish about the Wolves blowing the series, but the NBA began in 1947 and only 13 teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series.
There are fans who think the Lakers, with their storied championship legacy and huge TV market, will be given preferential calls by the officials tonight because the NBA wants the Lakers to extend the series. This kind of conspiracy has been present for decades but it’s rubbish because the NBA powers would be foolish to issue edicts about who should win games and thereby destroy the league’s credibility.
Minnesota native Ken Mauer, who refereed in the league for 37 years, told Sports Headliners yesterday “it’s make believe” to think the refs will favor the Lakers.
The officials also have a reputation to maintain. And, BTW, the NBA has admitted the officials missed a late game call in Sunday’s Minnesota win that hurt the Lakers.
Sunday’s game on ABC peaked with 10,274,000 viewers, according to Nielsen, and was the most watched NBA game of that day and evening.
Dating back to the regular season, the Wolves are 20-5 in their last 25 games.
Last week’s three-day NFL Draft from Green Bay was viewed by an average audience of 7.5 million people across ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and digital channels. It is the second most-watched NFL draft ever, behind only 2020 and up 27% from last year.
Top Twins prospect outfielder Walker Jenkins hasn’t played in a minor league game for Double -A Wichita since early April because of an ankle injury.
Ex-Twin Tyler Mahle is probably the biggest pitching surprise in MLB this spring. He is 3-0 for the Rangers with a gaudy 1.14 ERA, second best among starters.
The Twins traded for Mahle during the 2022 season and injuries limited his availability during parts of two seasons. In December of 2023 he signed as a free agent with the Rangers and has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery to stardom.
The Rangers signed him to a two-year deal $22 million contract that pays him $16.5 million this season, per MLB.com.
The college football transfer portal is closed and for a second consecutive season the Gophers have retained most of their core players. Offensive linemen Phillip Daniels and Martes Lewis could be significant transfer losses.
247Sports ranks the Minnesota transfer class as seventh best in the Big Ten. The website lists 22 incoming and 20 outgoing transfers with the program.
The Big Ten announced men’s basketball opponents yesterday for the 18 league teams for the 2025-2026 season. Each team will play 20 league games, facing 14 opponents only once. Dates and times announced later. Below is the Golden Gophers list of opponents.
Home: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCLA, USC.
Away: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington.
Home/Away: Indiana, Northwestern, Wisconsin.
Tempting for this writer: A Kentucky Derby bet Saturday on a horse named Journalism, a bay colt with $600,000 in career earnings who has emerged as a Derby favorite.
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