ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Vikings are set to release QB Donovan McNabb on Thursday. We've seen speculation on this ever since the Broncos granted Kyle Orton his release. McNabb will be subject to the waivers process with $1.5 million remaining on his 2011 salary. He would certainly have interest in playing for his hometown Bears, who have a higher waiver claim than the Texans. We're not sure he'd be much of an upgrade on Caleb Hanie, however.

ESPN's Adam Schefter "doesn't see much of a market" for Donovan McNabb after this season. Schefter notes that the only interested teams two offseasons ago were the Raiders and Redskins, and the only one last offseason was the Vikings. Now McNabb's washed-up skill set has been exposed by Christian Ponder, who has sparked Minnesota's offense. As Schefter says, McNabb will need to accept a backup role to stay in the league.

Donovan McNabb "absolutely" believes he should still be the Vikings' starting quarterback. "We had games that we should have won, but we just didn't," McNabb said. "Now is it the quarterback position?" McNabb also denies that chronic lateness was a contributing factor to his benching. McNabb appears to be having a typically difficult time coming to terms with reality, but the 1-6 Vikings have not. Barring injury or catastrophically bad play, first-round pick Christian Ponder should remain under center from here on out.

NFL.com's Michael Lombardi reports Donovan McNabb had been making a habit of showing up late for meetings and practice before being benched. According to Lombardi, "McNabb is at a point in his career that he does not seem to want to put in the time." This would make it two straight stops McNabb has been unwilling to put in the proper time outside of game day, making it more than likely his days as an NFL starter are over. He may even find it difficult to land a backup job if a majority of the league's teams find Lombardi's assessment to be true.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen confirms an NFL Network report that Donovan McNabb has been benched in favor of Christian Ponder. McNabb has now been benched by three different teams in the past four seasons. This is the first one that won't require a "financial apology," and there's plenty of speculation that McNabb could end up being released to avoid an awkward stint as a clipboard holder. With his accuracy, arm strength, and mobility on a severe decline, McNabb is no longer an NFL-caliber starter. He can be released in all fantasy leagues.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said at his Monday press conference he will decide on a starting quarterback for Week 7 by Wednesday. "The only criteria and the only qualifier will be what's best for our team," Frazier said of the decision. The fact that he opted not to endorse Donovan McNabb is a pretty strong sign Christian Ponder will be making his first career start against the Packers in Week 7. The rookie hardly lit things up in relief of McNabb on Sunday, but with the Vikings mired at 1-5 and averaging a putrid 187.5 passing yards per game, the reasons not to make a move have disappeared. McNabb can be safely dropped if you've been holding onto him as a reserve.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said that a discussion would occur on Monday about whether or not to go forward with current starter Donovan McNabb or backup rookie Christian Ponder. "We're going sit down on Monday and just talk about a lot of things and just decide on what direction we want to go," said Frazier. McNabb put on his trademark blinders after the game and said he expects to start next week, but at 1-5 the Vikings have every reason to start developing their No. 12 overall draft pick. Even if the change doesn't happen this upcoming week, it's coming soon.

Donovan McNabb was benched in Sunday's blowout loss to the Bears, finishing with 177 yards on 19-of-24 passing with no touchdowns and no interceptions. His 79.2 completion percentage, 7.4 YPA, and 97.4 QB rating were all better than backup Christian Ponder's numbers, but McNabb took five sacks and a safety and had some awful plays. His mechanics have gone down the drain as he's coming up short on too many throws, and his athleticism is all but gone, too. A hobbled Julius Peppers chased McNabb down at one point on a scramble and simply tapped him to knock him down for a sack. It's entirely possible we've seen McNabb's last game as an NFL starter.

A high-ranking NFL scout tells 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that Donovan McNabb's problems have been compounded by an unexpectedly weak arm this season. "The arm strength part has been a little surprising," the scout said. "Accuracy's never been his thing, but it doesn't look like he throws it very hard anymore. ... I've been reading those articles about his mechanics. I don't see much different, other than the fact he's an older guy now. Probably, his joints aren't as flexible and loose as they once were." McNabb is completing just 56.8 percent of his passes at a scant 6.4 yards per attempt.

Coach Leslie Frazier reiterated Monday that Donovan McNabb will remain the Vikings' starting quarterback going forward. McNabb went 10-of-21 for 169 yards in Week 5, despite facing perhaps the NFL's worst pass defense at home. In other words, the Vikings beat the Cardinals in spite of McNabb. "I think our players and our ownership have confidence in our quarterback and the rest of our ballclub as well," said Frazier. "We're not at the point of second-guessing whether Donovan can help us win against Chicago." McNabb's leash is surely shortening.