When the the Minnesota Vikings lost Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks and Daniel Jones to the Indianapolis Colts in free agency this week, it created an odd quarterback question that should have already had an ironclad answer.
Now what?
By Friday, the response to that query should have been simple: Elevate 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy, who was chosen by the Vikings with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, then find a backup veteran capable of supporting him.
But rather than that happening, the QB landscape in Minnesota is getting complicated yet again as the team's braintrust mulls a potential pursuit of free-agent veteran Aaron Rodgers, who would be signed to start over — rather than support — the Vikings' presumed future cornerstone in McCarthy.
All the while, the surrounding NFL world and several quarterback-needy teams wait. Not just on Rodgers, but now on the Vikings, too.
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This isn't a small development across the league. There's a healthy amount of curiosity about how the remaining free-agent quarterback stack will settle — with the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans all having some element of their future now potentially tied to what happens with Rodgers and the Vikings. And you can add the Atlanta Falcons to that list since they are intent on holding veteran backup quarterback Kirk Cousins as a possible trade chip heading toward the draft and beyond.
“[Sam] Darnold and Daniel Jones were both [in the Vikings' organization], so I get keeping one of them, even Darnold starting for another year. Because you know him,” one high-ranking NFL executive said of the Vikings’ consideration of Rodgers as a signing option. “And Daniel [Jones], he’s smart and you’ve seen him for a few months. … Rodgers hasn’t been around. A rough couple years [with the New York] Jets. Old and beat up. Didn’t end great with the [Green Bay] Packers.”
“Even with J.J. missing [the 2024 season with injury] it’s a long talk,” the source continued. “Like, this isn’t Rodgers from 4, 5, 6 years ago. And there’s so much bull**** off the field. I just don’t get the risk.”
The source pointed out there’s a flipside to the negative considerations: What happens if Rodgers replicates the Darnold experience in 2024 and plays well in Minnesota? What if he’s willing to keep playing?
It was an intriguing analysis.
With that in mind, I considered the four questions that have to be resolved by the Vikings before pursuing Rodgers. As they have internal conversations in the next few days, they need to know …
Is Rodgers willing to take a benching if the Vikings turn to McCarthy in 2025?
The response to this is paramount. And it should be asked to Rodgers directly by the organization, and then the media covering the team. If the play on the field warrants it, will Rodgers accept a benching for a presumed successor?
Without question, the long-term horizon for the Vikings is supposed to be McCarthy. When I spent time with the team last summer during training camp, that was the message from the coaching staff and front office. If it isn’t the same answer at this point, it means something happened with McCarthy’s knee surgeries and ensuing weight loss — or the up-close assessment of him as a player — that changed the calculus inside the franchise.
Until now, I haven’t gotten that sense in any way. I’ve been told McCarthy has gotten his weight back into line with being a starting QB, made great use of his mental reps over the past six months, and was a great teammate as he rejoined and even traveled with the Vikings since last October. By all accounts, he has gotten back on track, albeit having lost a season of physical reps in the process.
Even if you kick his rookie season from 2024 to 2025, the reality is the Vikings were considering starting him last year — right up to his season-ending meniscus tear. Now that he’s up and running again, I have to believe that’s the same goal.
But Rodgers is a different player than Darnold. He has never been “benched” since becoming a high-level player.
If the Vikings are serious about doing the right thing for the future, they have to know from Rodgers in unambiguous terms that he would be willing to sit down if it was time to turn toward the McCarthy era next season.
How long does Rodgers intend to play?
Members of Rodgers’ inner circle explained that when he was making his decision about potentially pushing a trade from Green Bay, one of the big factors on his mind was his legacy. He didn’t want to change teams and then crash and burn. He wanted to show he could do things his way — on the field and off — and ride into the sunset on his own terms. Well, he’s pretty far away from that now, even with a few teams jockeying for his services in 2025.
That begs the question of what happens if Rodgers signs with the Vikings and plays well in 2025? Does he push for another year? Does he retire on a positive note, even if it means a lack of playoff success or Super Bowl? Minnesota should have a real sense of what Rodgers wants and how he's willing to negotiate that against what the Vikings need.
Certainly, Minnesota could sign Rodgers to a one-year deal and cut him loose regardless of how well he plays in 2025, but that comes with the distraction of a storyline down the stretch next season. Let’s be clear: The Vikings have a stacked team. Rodgers absolutely could come in and have an All-Pro level year. But then what happens for the future? Imagine the headline: “Rodgers resurrects his MVP form with Vikings. What does this mean for McCarthy?”
Do the Vikings want to be weighing whether to keep a 42-in-December veteran versus McCarthy?
With that in mind, they need to know what Rodgers wants out of the end of his career. It might not align with Minnesota’s needs.
What impact would the signing have on McCarthy?
Just from a baseline standpoint, the Vikings need to know where McCarthy's head is at on all these developments. He's still extremely young and has already gone through losing his rookie season to injury and seeing a veteran roster and coaching staff respond very favorably to Darnold. By all accounts inside the organization, he's handled it with nothing by positivity and an eagerness to learn and grow. All of which has made the lives of the Vikings' coaching staff and front office easier as they have weighed what to do with Darnold, Jones and now Rodgers. But there can be a limit to what young players can absorb before they start asking themselves if the team that drafted them has total confidence in them. The Vikings have to be aware of that, and that's why McCarthy should at least be brought in for a conversation on a Rodgers signing. If nothing else, to get a read on where his mindset is at with it.
The bright side for the Vikings — and you can take this with a grain of salt if you wish — there has been some positivity regarding McCarthy’s admiration of Rodgers that has resurfaced in recent days. All thanks to a Rodgers appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, in which Rodgers talked about being true to who you are as a person and standing up for your beliefs. Shortly after that February 2024 appearance by Rodgers, McCarthy added a video clip from that podcast to his Instagram stories and labeled Rodgers a “GOAT human”.
Think Aaron Rodgers and J.J. McCarty would get a long GREAT.
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) March 13, 2025
Back in Feb 2024, McCarthy called Rodgers a "Goat Human 🐐" and praised Rodger's thoughts when Rodgers joined the @joeroganhq Podcast.
📸: @Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/vGKeSCQBTS
Take that for what it’s worth.
Is Rodgers willing to end his career mentoring his successor?
Much will be — and should be — made of the long-term transitions that happened with the Packers, when Brett Favre didn't seem all that interested in mentoring Rodgers to take over, then Rodgers didn't seem all that interested in mentoring Jordan Love to do the same in Green Bay. It's fair to ask whether a veteran quarterback wants — or should want — to bring along the young player who is meant to replace him.
But this is a different situation in Minnesota than it was in Green Bay. McCarthy is in place right now. Rodgers is the guy who would potentially be brought in as the second fiddle, even if he’s the starter in 2025.
Is Rodgers willing to come in on a one-year deal to start and win games while also mentoring McCarthy to take the team over in 2026? If the answer is no, then he shouldn’t be signed unless the Vikings have lost faith in McCarthy’s development. And if the answer is yes, the Vikings should explore with Rodgers what that will look like. What does it look like on the practice field? What does it look like in the classroom? Will the pair spend time together outside of the facility? And to that point, why is Rodgers willing to be a mentor now, versus in the past when he was clearly most interested in protecting his turf and standing as a starter with the Packers?
As his end with the Jets neared, Rodgers said he would be willing to return to the team and mentor a future starter during the 2025 season. And to that point, I will say that when he was expected to start in front of Zach Wilson in 2023, I heard nothing but great things about how much Rodgers was a willing and patient teacher with Wilson that year. Clearly, it felt different than the awkward existence between Rodgers and Love inside the Packers.
Ultimately, we’ll see if the Vikings get all of these questions resolved in their minds before they make a decision about Rodgers. Frankly, the answers to them may end up guiding whether he’s courted by Minnesota or not. But if he is a Viking in the coming days or weeks, the answers to all of these questions should be as big a concern to the Minnesota fan base as they are to the front office and coaching staff this weekend.
