Former Ole Miss quarterback signs with Minnesota Vikings after J.J. McCarthy is placed on IR

Former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral has found a new home in the NFL. Yesterday, Corral signed with the Minnesota Vikings after spending the spring playing in the UFL for the Birmingham Stallions.

The Vikings signed Corral after the unfortunate news that 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was placed on IR. McCarthy is set to miss the 2024 season due to a knee injury requiring surgery.

Corral joins Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall in the Vikings quarterback room. The indication is that Darnold will be the starter in the week 1 game against the New York Giants. A 2018 first-round draft pick, Darnold has bounced around the league and still has questions to answer, as do all of the quarterbacks on the roster.

Corral is in good form, helping the Stallions to the first-ever UFL Championship Game. The former Rebel came onto the field after starter Adrian Martinez was injured, throwing for 120 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 31-18 win over the Michigan Panthers.

The Vikings still have two preseason games, starting today against the Cleveland Browns. It may be too soon for Corral to see any action, but he may get a chance against the Philadelphia Eagles on August 24.

The Vikings could head into the season with all three quarterbacks on the roster or potentially two with one on the practice squad. After being drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2022, Corral found himself with the New England Patriots for the 2023 season, spending time on the practice squad.

During his time with Ole Miss, Corral threw for 8,281 passing yards and 57 touchdowns. He also had 1,338 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns in his four seasons in Oxford. We will see what the future holds for the former Rebel, but he has a good chance of making an NFL roster this season.