It’s pretty clear after talking to a wide range of people at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week that the Vikings are going to add a quarterback in the near future.

Though they aren’t ready to completely punt on J.J. McCarthy, they want to see if competition brings out the best in the young QB.

“We’ve got to make up for some lost time,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said of McCarthy, who has played only 10 of 34 games in his career because of injuries. “It’s going to be about that competition being a catalyst for making up on some of that lost time.”

Who exactly fits that mold for the Vikings? The market will dictate the options at their disposal.

“We’re not going to try to manufacture anything that’s not there,” acting general manager Rob Brzezinski. “We’re going to do what’s in the best interest in the Vikings in 2026 and beyond.”

That might rule out a big name like, say, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. You can’t trade for somebody that isn’t available. It doesn’t matter how trendy the idea itself has been on social media.

Some of the most notable names that popped up in casual conversation at the NFL Combine included the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins, New Orleans’ Derek Carr, and Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson, among others.

Here’s a breakdown of those options with free agency looming in a couple of weeks:

Kyler Murray

If the Cardinals are unable to move Murray, they could be forced to release him. That would make him an option for the Vikings.

Why it makes sense: The theoretical ceiling is higher with Murray than with anybody else. He already has been a top 10 quarterback in his career, and if he can reach that level again, the sky could be the limit for the Vikings. He has a unique skillset with his ability to impact the game with his arm and his legs. He probably represents the biggest swing that could be available on the open market.

Why it doesn’t make sense: It can’t be overlooked that Murray recently got benched because of his erratic play. He has existed as a bit of an enigma both on and off the field. He can be marvelous and maddening. Sometimes in the same series. The inconsistency could be enough to make the Vikings look elsewhere given the fact that they seem to be looking for stability more than anything else.

Kirk Cousins

It has been confirmed that the Falcons plan to release Cousins ahead of free agency. The history with the Vikings could make it a good fit, assuming there’s mutual interest.

FILE – Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik, File)

Why it makes sense: There’s no doubt Cousins could do the job. Not only has he starred for the Vikings in the past, he also proved capable of moving the chains for the Falcons down the stretch. He would bring a professionalism to the position along with the ability to rip the ball over the middle of the field. Neither should be taken for granted given how everything has gone for the Vikings as of late.

Why it doesn’t make sense: Let’s just say running it back with Cousins wouldn’t be the most inspiring decision by any means. It would feel like going back in time with hopes of finding something comfortable. That’s rarely a recipe for success. Would an aging 38-year-old really make the Vikings a Super Bowl contender? Not a chance.

Derek Carr

Though the Saints technically still have his rights, Carr would only come out of retirement to play for a Super Bowl contender. His name has already been connected to the Vikings by a number of people.

Derek Carr #4 of the New Orleans Saints in action against the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome on Sept. 08, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Why it makes sense: Maybe all the time off has helped Carr feel like himself again. After opting for retirement largely due to a lingering shoulder injury, he’s now healthy enough to flirt with the idea of returning. He was a prolific passer at the peak of his powers and could help the Vikings, assuming he’s given enough time to throw. There might be enough gas left in the tank to make his move worth it.

Why it doesn’t make sense: There’s no guarantee Carr will be able to regain his old form. He has been away for long enough that it’s possible he might have lost his touch. Is it smart to bet on somebody that hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL since December 2024? It’s a pretty big gamble for the Vikings to make.

Anthony Richardson

After the Colts decided to bench him, Richardson has been granted permission to seek a trade. It’s no secret the Vikings were interested in him ahead of the 2023 draft. There reportedly is mutual interest.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson #5 of the Indianapolis Colts holds off Isaiah Oliver #23 of the New York Jets as he scrambles during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 17, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Why it makes sense: The intrigue of making Richardson the next reclamation project is understandable. He has all the tools needed to be a dynamic player. He simply has to find a way to apply them consistently. The highs have been high. The lows have been low. If the Vikings could help Richardson find some sort of equilibrium, they could reap the benefits for a very long time. That hypothetical is enough to at least kick the tires.

Why it doesn’t make sense: It doesn’t make sense to commit too many resources to Richardson at this point. Especially when the Vikings already have a project on their hands. It’s hard to justify this being an upgrade considering there isn’t much of a difference between Richardson and McCarthy right now. This type of move would require the Vikings to still invest in another veteran QB.

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On the morning U.S. forces launched strikes inside Iran alongside Israel, it’s believed that up to 200 Minnesota airmen and soldiers are deployed to the broader Middle East region.

The United States and Israel carried out a large-scale strike on Iran early Saturday. In response, President Donald Trump urged Iranians to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against the Islamic regime that has governed the country since 1979. Iran answered with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. military bases across the region.

According to a report by WCCO-TV last week, more than 200 Minnesota National Guard members are deployed in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility.

The command area spans 21 countries that include the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and Northeast Africa.

WCCO said Minnesotans deployed to the command area include members of Duluth’s 148th Fighter Wing, the Marshall-based 1-151 Artillery and the Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company.

Although specific missions and locations are not public, WCCO said Duluth citizen soldiers are “in the region to protect American airpower, defend regional allies and support coalition forces, and is focused on preserving peace and security throughout the region.”

The Stillwater group was deployed to the Middle East in January, WCCO said, noting the unit will “support customs operations across the region as part of Operation Spartan Shield.”

The Marshall group will “provide timely and accurate artillery fires in support of ground units operating in the U.S. Central Command area,” according to the WCCO report, which noted that the deployments were regularly scheduled ones but “they know that at any time, they could be called into action.”

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It’s finally boys state hockey tournament week, made official by the release of the brackets in both classes Saturday.

Moorhead is a serious threat to repeat in Class 2A. The Spuds are the No. 2 seed in this week’s tournament.

There will be a new champion in Class A, as 2025 champ East Grand Forks didn’t advance past section play.

The winners’ brackets for both tournaments will be played at Grand Casino Arena. All winners’ bracket games for both classes will be televised on KSTC Ch. 45, and also can be viewed online for free at 45tv.com.

If you want to see how these 16 teams earned their way to St. Paul, check out the complete section tournament brackets here.

The complete brackets for each class are listed below, and can also be viewed on the MSHSL website. Brackets will be updated here throughout the tournament, with a link attaching the box score to each final score.

Class 2A

Thursday’s quarterfinals

No. 1 Minnetonka vs. Gentry Academy, 11 a.m.

No. 4 Rosemount vs. No. 5 Grand Rapids, 1 p.m.

No. 2 Moorhead vs. No. 7 Lakeville South, 6 p.m.

No. 3 Edina vs. No. 6 Andover, 8 p.m.

Friday’s semifinals

Thursday’s afternoon quarterfinal winners, 6 p.m.

Thursday’s evening quarterfinal winners, 8 p.m.

Saturday’s final

Friday’s evening semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Class A

Wednesday’s quarterfinals

No. 1 Hibbing/Chisholm vs. Dodge County, 11 a.m.

No. 4 Mahtomedi vs. No. 5 St. Cloud Cathedral, 1 p.m.

No. 2 Delano vs. No. 7 Mankato West, 6 p.m.

No. 3 Warroad vs. No. 6 Northern Lakes, 8 p.m.

Friday’s semifinals

Wednesday’s afternoon quarterfinal winners, 11 a.m.

Wednesday’s evening quarterfinal winners, 1 p.m.

Saturday’s final

Friday’s afternoon semifinal winners, Noon

Mexican writer/director Michel Franco explores the dynamics of money, class and the border through the spiky, unsettling erotic drama “Dreams,” starring Jessica Chastain and Isaac Hernández, a Mexican ballet dancer and actor.

In the languidly paced “Dreams,” Franco presents two individuals in love (or lust?) who experiment with wielding the power at their fingertips against their lover, the violence either state or sexual in nature. The film examines the push-pull of attraction and rejection on a scope both intimate and global, finding the uneasy space where the two meet.

Chastain stars as Jennifer McCarthy, a wealthy San Francisco philanthropist and socialite who runs a foundation that supports a ballet school in Mexico City. But Franco does not center her experience, but that of Fernando (Hernández), whom we meet first, escaping from the back of a box truck filled with migrants crossing the U.S./Mexico border, abandoned in San Antonio on a 100-degree day.

His journey is one of extreme survival, but his destination is the lap of luxury, a modernist San Francisco mansion where he makes himself at home, and where he’s clearly been at home before. A talented ballet dancer who has already once been deported, he’s risked everything to be with his lover, Jennifer, though as a high-profile figure who works with her father and brother (Rupert Friend), she’d rather keep her affair with Fernando under wraps. He’s her dirty little secret, but he’s also a human being who refuses to be kept in the shadows.

As Jennifer and Fernando attempt to navigate what it looks like for them to be together, it seems that larger forces will shatter their connection. In reality, the only real danger is each other.

The storytelling logic of “Dreams” is predicated on watching these characters move through space, the way we watch dancers do. Franco offers some fascinating parallels to juxtapose the wildly varying experiences of Fernando and Jennifer — he enters the States in a box truck, almost dying of thirst and heat stroke; she arrives in Mexico on a private plane, but they both enter empty homes alone, melancholy. During a rift in their relationship, Fernando retreats to a motel while working at a bar, drinking red wine out of plastic cups with a friend in his humble room, ignoring Jennifer’s calls, while she eats alone in her darkened dining room, drinking red wine out of crystal.

These comparisons aren’t exactly nuanced, but they are stark, and for most of the film, Franco just asks us to watch them move together, and apart, in a strange, avoidant pas de deux. Often dwarfed by architecture, their distinctive bodies in space are more important than the sparse dialogue that only serves to fill in crucial gaps in storytelling.

Cinematographer Yves Cape captures it all in crisp, saturated images. The lack of musical score (beyond diegetic music in the ballet scenes) contributes to the dry, flat affect and tone, as these characters enact increasing cruelties — both emotional and physical — upon each other as a means of trying to contain their lover, until it escalates into something truly dark and disturbing.

Franco, frankly, loses the plot of “Dreams” in the third act. What is a rather staid drama about the weight of social expectations on a relationship becomes a dramatically unexpected game of vengeance as Jennifer and Fernando grasp at any power they have over the other. She fetishizes him and he returns the favor, violently.

Ultimately, Franco jettisons his characters for the sake of unearned plot twists that leave the viewer feeling only icky. These events aren’t illuminating, and feel instead like a bleak betrayal. The circumstances of the story might be “timely,” but “Dreams” doesn’t help us understand the situation better, leaving us in the dark about what we’re supposed to take away from this story of sex, violence, money and the state. Anything it suggests we already know.

‘Dreams’

(In English and Spanish with English subtitles)

1.5 stars (out of 4)

No MPA rating (some nudity, sex scenes, swearing, sexual violence)

Running time: 1:35

How to watch: In theaters Feb. 27

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