The saga between the Minnesota Vikings and Aaron Rodgers will not die. One week after the Vikings seemingly closed the door on an unholy alliance, Rodgers slinked his way through the Pittsburgh Steelers facility and right back into Kevin O’Connell‘s ear.
The past week didn’t do anything to calm anyone’s fears. J.J. McCarthy told Kay Adams that the Vikings haven’t told him he’s their starting quarterback. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke about Rodgers in the past tense but kept the door open just enough that it’s not impossible for him to walk through the doors of TCO Performance Center in the coming months.
The frustration has boiled over from Vikings fans who just want it to go away. But perhaps the biggest trigger point is that there’s still uncertainty about McCarthy, even as he appears to be closing in on the starting job.
McCarthy didn’t arrive in Minnesota impulsively. A few weeks before the Vikings made him the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history, O’Connell revealed that some people in Eagan referred to him as “The Quarterback Killer,” shooting down potential franchise saviors to hold out for the right guy.
The fact that O’Connell gave the thumbs-up on McCarthy during last year’s draft is a good sign. But so was McCarthy’s progress throughout the summer. Adjusting to the nuances of the Vikings’ offense, McCarthy put on a show in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders before he went home and felt soreness in his knee.
That soreness turned out to be a season-ending injury, and McCarthy spent the entire offseason sounding alarms. The first came in November when it was revealed that McCarthy had a procedure related to his recovery. The second came during Minnesota’s nationally televised loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 when McCarthy looked more likely to lead Team Iceland against Gordon Bombay’s Team USA squad than become a franchise quarterback.
McCarthy’s stock was down, but then it spiked. The Vikings let Sam Darnold leave in free agency, and Daniel Jones followed him out the door. McCarthy was earning praise from his teammates and establishing himself in the community. After a year of waiting, the time was now. But it may be in Minnesota’s best interest to play things slow.
Vikings fans are excited about McCarthy, but there’s a grim reality. McCarthy has not participated in practice since injuring his knee last August. It’s best to get him on the field and see how he looks. If he doesn’t look great, the Vikings can call Rodgers and give McCarthy an official redshirt year, allowing him to get the physical and mental reps he received last year.
But this is troubling for a fan base that is short on patience. Minnesota’s history is littered with “win now” narratives that rarely have an eye on the future. It’s why the Vikings have the seventh-highest winning percentage in NFL history (.551) but have never been able to take home a championship. If Minnesota signed Rodgers, some fans would interpret that as the long-term plan isn’t working, creating the pushback we see now.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini is one media member who has faced the brunt of the resistance. While some questioned her reporting, her story turned out to be accurate. On the latest episode of her Scoop City podcast, she stated that Vikings fans may have to accept that Rodgers could be their quarterback next year.
They don’t know. How could they know? He’s coming off injury. They need to see it. And I do think there’s a world, and I know Vikings fans don’t want to see it, whether it’s their hate for Aaron Rodgers, whether it’s they feel that J.J.’s not getting a fair shake. Whatever the reason is for why some Vikings fans don’t want to see Aaron Rodgers, they have to come to grips with the fact that there is a world that exists this year where Aaron Rodgers hangs out, and the Minnesota Vikings pick up the phone, and they make the call. It could happen.
Russini’s co-host Chase Daniel has seconded this idea, saying Rodgers may be more able to help the Vikings win the Super Bowl than McCarthy could next season.
Just because I’m calling him an unproven rookie quarterback, I see no lies there. He’s played one game in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings think he will be the franchise quarterback. He has a lot to prove. …I still believe in this point in time if the season started today, Aaron Rodgers gives the Vikings the best chance to win a Super Bowl in 2025. Now, does it mean 2026 and 2027? I don’t know. Will J.J. McCarthy turn into a franchise quarterback at some point in his career? Who knows? Time will tell.
Russini and Daniel come off as parents trying to convince Vikings fans to eat their vegetables for one year so McCarthy can get big and strong. But the way this is being played, everybody is getting what they want.
Rodgers is getting his opportunity to wait by the phone and see if McCarthy falters. O’Connell has his insurance plan as a head coach that is a step or two away from the brass ring. And McCarthy gets a full offseason of QB1 reps to show that he can do what Rodgers can at age 22.
It’s why most beat writers still think McCarthy is the most likely quarterback to start for the Vikings in Week 1. But It could leave an undesired result that’s not a knee-jerk decision. It’s why McCarthy will get his opportunity and why people nationally doubt the player Minnesota still believes in.