Going the extra mile in terms of mental preparation has been fundamental to Brosmer’s career.
“I think it’s because, honestly, I haven’t been as physically gifted as some people in this profession, and I think when you’re kind of on the shorter end of that stick, you have to kind of outwork people mentally,” he said. “You have to know your superpower. And I feel like I pride myself on being mentally capable of understanding what’s going on, and having a good idea of what the game plan is, and I just want to be able to help my room out as best as possible and find little things that may help J.J., Carson or whoever’s on the field succeed at the highest level – and, ultimately, it’s about winning football games.”
Brosmer is the ultimate longshot. A small-school star who jumped levels and set a program single-season record for completions at Minnesota. He was neglected in the draft process but always had a little something to him in the Vikings eyes. A 60.3-percent completion rate in exhibitions, with flashy throws, solidified his standing in a quarterbacks room purposefully designed to maximize McCarthy’s potential.
There was no specific play or moment that informed Brosmer he was qualified for the NFL, but it’s something he gleaned gradually over the course of the offseason program and Vikings training camp.
“I think there’s ups and downs, little critiques every single day,” Brosmer said. “I think our staff does an amazing job of building you up but also showing you where you can get better. And that’s a room-thing with our quarterback room, but also just kind of going up the totem pole with the staff. … We do such a good job of holding each other accountable, where there’s not a ton of time to be like, ‘I made it.’
“You can never have that mindset, especially in the NFL, especially here with the Vikings,” Brosmer added. “There’s some good things you can build upon, but there’s always some stuff you can critique yourself on, and your teammates, and ultimately we want to be championship-worthy every single day.”
Providing value in a role that lacks glamour but not significance is Brosmer’s objective now, like Wentz.
“From the very beginning, you learn that you get two or three reps when you first get here for OTAs and then you might get a few more sprinkled in,” Brosmer remarked. “I love what Tom Brady said in an interview. He talked about, those two or three reps are like game reps. Those are your Super Bowl reps, and you have to treat them like you’re going in to play the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.”
That’s possible from a mental standpoint, thanks to help from coaching assistants, such as Jordan Traylor.
“J.T. has done an amazing job with me. We go through the script behind the 1s and the scout team going on at the same time, and we’re running the exact same plays just on air,” Brosmer said. “That’s a credit to him for putting that time and effort in with me. But it’s also just a good way to keep your mind fresh and your body moving because standing around for a while can kind of get difficult – if you’ve got to get thrown into reps, it’s tough if you’re standing around. So I applaud him for that, and I can’t wait to continue. I look forward to those reps with J.T. every day because it feels like I’m taking the actual reps.”
Quarterbacks Coach Josh McCown backed up Wentz in 2019 and is essential to the equation, as well.
“Pretty interesting how it works out,” Wentz quipped, joking he’s been “grilling” McCown in his office every day since arriving. “But he’s been super helpful, just like he was in Philly, honestly – his mindset, his philosophy, his demeanor and understanding of the quarterback position. Obviously, everybody knows the career he had and how he was all over the place and all these different offenses, but he truly understands the quarterback position better than, I mean, as good as anybody, truthfully. Not only the Xs and Os, but just like the mindset, the thought process, the pressures, all the things that we go through as quarterbacks. Having a guy like that in the room and really leading the room, I think is huge.”
Wentz was the No. 2 overall draft choice in 2016 out of North Dakota State. He won 35 games in five seasons as the Eagles starter and enjoyed his best statistical campaign in 2017 when the Eagles beat Tom Brady and New England in Super Bowl LII. Performing at an MVP level, he tore his ACL that December.
Four years later, Wentz was taking snaps from Colts center Ryan Kelly, who signed with Minnesota this spring. They are close friends and occasionally play golf together. That’s more than notable familiarity.
The zigzagging journey for Wentz, shifting him from stardom to shining behind the scenes, has taught him the “game can change fast.” But it’s “still just football,” he said, recalling how his first NFL game felt.
“I got out there [feeling] all the emotion, all the excitement, but once that first snap came, it’s like we’re still just playing football,” Wentz commented. “I’ll try and help remind J.J. that it’s still just a game, still a game you’ve grown up playing [and] loved playing your whole life. … But you learn to grow up quickly.”
Wentz admitted he is still learning – how to be the best backup – but is eager for this opportunity.
“Not gonna lie, I think just willingness to put the team first [is most important],” he said. “I mean, that’s obviously everybody who steps in that locker room, that’s supposed to be the goal and the mindset. And I feel like in my brief time here, that seems to be the general consistent consensus with the guys in there. But just willingness to serve however that looks, whether that’s staying after to help a guy or doing extra cutups and watching extra film, whatever that looks like, both on the field and off. I think as QB1, there’s a lot of pressures – both on and off the field. And so just trying to help however I can. I think that’s really the nature of the job, and so still, again, still learning it, still new, a little bit, for me, but excited to help.”
Regarding the acquisition of Wentz after trading away Sam Howell four months after making a deal for him on the third day of the 2025 draft, O’Connell stated, “The ultimate goal was to feel how we feel right now. … We’ve got some experience with bringing in some quarterbacks that had previous experiences elsewhere and finding a way to maximize, in a short amount of time, a level of comfort in the system.”
The coach, proclaimed by others as a quarterback whisperer, said, “I think we’ve got a complete room.”
