Vikings Talked To Aaron Rodgers But Expect J.J. McCarthy To Be Their Starting QB
The Minnesota Vikings not only considered adding Aaron Rodgers but engaged in conversations with him before ultimately deciding they're sticking with untested J.J. McCarthy as their expected starter for 2025, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Wednesday.
McCarthy was the club's first-round pick last year and was supposed to compete for the starting job then, but that was derailed by a training camp knee injury.
Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) under center against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
McCarthy Has ‘Met The Bar’
Now, the plan for last year seems to carry over to this year.
"You guys talk in terms of QB1 and all those conversations, different things like that, when we pool the resources that we did to draft J.J. and you go through that long process and all those things, I can't stand up here and say that's not the outcome we want and that's the outcome we're headed towards," Adofo-Mensah said.
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"At every checkpoint, whether it was the draft process or practice until the injury, the offseason now, he's met the bar. He's exceeded our expectations at every point."
So, while the Vikings are not handing the job to McCarthy, they expect he'll take it by the time the regular season begins.
"I don't have the ability to tell you what the future is, but I can tell you what I expect to be the outcome this offseason from the quarterback competition," Adofo-Mensah said.
Aaron Rodgers wants to know the vax status of all of his critics before they talk about him. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Vikings Talked To And About Rodgers
All that said, the general manager confirmed what has been known for some time, which is the Vikings considered Rodgers in recent weeks. And that consideration involved head coach Kevin O'Connell discussing matters with Rodgers directly.
"Yeah, so, you're talking about a player that Kevin's known for a long time," Adofo-Mensah said. "When you have a relationship like that, I'm typically the type that says, ‘Hey, whoever’s got the best relationship, talk to him.'
"He's got a great relationship with Aaron. They've had a lot of great conversations. Obviously, he looped us in and we kind of met and [went] from there. It's a huge thing to talk about a player of that caliber … Being involved in those dialogues was special.
"From our delineations at that time, we're happy where we are going forward, but obviously, the caliber of player he is, we had to make it part of our considerations."
Dec 10, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell (left) and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah react during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
QB Competition Incoming For Vikings
Cool. But the discussions ultimately led the Vikings right back to McCarthy.
None of that means the Vikings are set at quarterback.
McCarthy and Brett Rypien are on the roster. And the team is still searching for more help.
"We want to make sure there's competition in the room," Adofo-Mensah said. "We're trying to solve for a lot of different things at once."
The Vikings are more focused on finding a backup who can "provide insurance in case someone needs to come in for a couple of games."
Joe Flacco is available, as is Carson Wentz, among others.
But that obviously is not Rodgers.