The Minnesota Vikings have opened themselves up to inking a new quarterback to compete with JJ McCarthy this offseason, and they are liable to return to an option that several members of the front office desired heading into 2025.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported in March that several members of the organization wanted the team to ink Aaron Rodgers as a challenger to McCarthy, who was then heading into his second year without a regular season start on his resumé.
Little personnel turnover of note has occurred within the Vikings organization over the 1o months since. However, McCarthy hobbled through a second injury-plagued season, during which he was okay at times and incompetent at others, while Rodgers led the Pittsburgh Steelers to an AFC North Division crown and a playoff appearance.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo rehashed Lewis’s report from early last year as he examined Rodgers’ candidacy with the Vikings as they head into 2026 uncertain about McCarthy, the former No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
“Coach Kevin O’Connell has a personal relationship with Rodgers that dates about two decades,” DeFabo wrote Tuesday, January 20. “Ultimately, O’Connell decided to spend the season developing second-year quarterback JJ McCarthy. That process didn’t go as planned; the Michigan product posted a passer rating of 72.6 with more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11).”
“When Rodgers said he will probably have ‘one or two’ options, the Steelers and Vikings were the first two that came to mind,” DeFabo continued.
Aaron Rodgers Winding Down Hall of Fame NFL Career
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers is a 10-time Pro Bowler with north of 66,000 passing yards to his name. He has also won four MVPs and a Super Bowl.
That said, Rodgers is 42 years old and doesn’t offer Minnesota a longterm alternative to McCarthy — though that might actually be what the Vikings prefer.
Trading for an expensive player under contract like Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa is a big commitment. And while McCarthy certainly brings more questions than answers with him to the table halfway through his rookie contract, he still has a chance to be a legitimate QB1 in the league.
Aaron Rodgers Can Offer Vikings Optionality With JJ McCarthy in 2026, and Potentially Beyond
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
Rodgers could mentor McCarthy while also offering Minnesota a better chance at success in 2026 on a one-year deal. If Rodgers suffers injury or his play falls off a cliff, McCarthy gets a second chance to earn the starting job longterm.
If it works out, great. The Vikings can pick up the fifth-year option on McCarthy’s deal for 2028, which exists because of his status as a former first-rounder, and give him a whirl in 2027 with a plan to pivot away if things go poorly.
Should McCarthy get a shot in 2026 or 2027, either behind Rodgers or one year after his exit, and fail, Minnesota knows it’s time to move forward with someone else.
Even signing a player like Green Bay Packers backup QB Malik Willis might be a larger financial and/or timeline commitment than Minnesota wants to make with potential still existing in McCarthy to become the guy at some point, and for a long time, moving forward.
Thus, Rodgers or players like Kirk Cousins and Joe Flacco make sense as a one-year bridges and might represent the best path of any available to Minnesota this offseason.
Vikings ‘Want’ 10-Time Pro Bowl QB as JJ McCarthy Challenger: Report