Getty
Head coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings talks with quarterback Max Brosmer.
Decision makers inside the Minnesota Vikings organization weren’t universally sold on former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s plans under center heading into last season, and one specific point of order has resurfaced a year later.
The organization faces a critical choice on how, and with whom, to move forward at the quarterback position alongside the obvious presence of third-year signal-caller JJ McCarthy in the position group and competing for the starting role throughout training camp.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has indicated that the team will acquire competition for McCarthy, and Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported on Thursday, February 12 that mutual interest remains between some of the franchise higher-ups and veteran QB Aaron Rodgers, whom the team courted for a time last summer before committing all-in to McCarthy in his first year as a starter.
“I just don’t think it’s universal across the board that everybody is going to say, ‘He’s not on our list’” 👀
– @DWolfsonKSTP on Aaron Rodgers
“It wasn’t universal across the board at TCO Performance Center not to sign Aaron Rodgers,” Wolfson said on the SKOR North podcast. “And so, my sense is there’s still at least some relatively loud voices in Eagan that would be open-minded, minimum, if not pounding the table, but certainly open-minded to that possibility.”
“I still think in the end it’s a long shot that he actually ends up here,” Wolfson continued. “Now, is there interest from his side, those close to him? Yeah, I think that remains. There would be all sorts of interest in coming here to Minnesota.”
Vikings Passed on Aaron Rodgers Last Year to Clear Runway for JJ McCarthy
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
O’Connell spoke to Rodgers last summer about the possibility of joining the Vikings and detailed the conversation publicly in general terms.
“There was an opportunity when him and I connected, just to kind of talk about ‘Hey, what would that look like?’ We had a lot of great dialogue about it, but it was always centered around what was best not only for the present of the Minnesota Vikings organization but the future,” O’Connell told KFAN 1003 radio last June. “I was very honest about my feelings toward JJ, my obligation that I felt like we were going to give him the best possible situation to begin and thrive on this NFL journey.”
But after an up-and-down campaign — in which McCarthy struggled mightily at times early on before coming on strong down the stretch, and in which he battled injuries again and missed seven games — the tone in Minnesota has changed.
Sam Darnold left a playoff-caliber Vikings roster after a 14-3 campaign and is currently enjoying a Super Bowl championship he just won with the Seahawks. Adofo-Mensah is out, and O’Connell is facing real pressure to produce in Year 5 after making the playoffs twice in his first four campaigns as head coach but failing to win a postseason game either time.
Vikings, Kirk Cousins Reunion Remains Possibility in 2026
GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Rodgers isn’t the only veteran with whom the Vikings may rekindle discussions this offseason. Another is former six-year starter in Minnesota, Kirk Cousins.
The Atlanta Falcons are likely to release Cousins in the coming weeks, ahead of the start of free agency on March 11. Ben Solak of ESPN listed Cousins as a primary option for the Vikings on Tuesday, while also mentioning some trade possibilities involving younger quarterbacks who might challenge/usurp McCarthy both next season and well into the future.
“Cousins is the obvious choice because he has scheme familiarity from his time in Minnesota as coach Kevin O’Connell’s starter,” Solak wrote. “But O’Connell is a big believer in quarterback development, and I would not be surprised if he wants to go for a younger player to challenge McCarthy’s seat not just in 2026 but also beyond. Every toolsy young passer who can operate from the pocket (Tanner McKee, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, etc.) is on my radar for a surprise Vikings trade.”
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
More Heavy on Vikings
Loading more stories