The Minnesota Vikings are in the market to find a veteran replacement for Sam Darnold.
Minnesota will be searching for a veteran insurance plan to protect McCarthy from being rushed into action too early.
And, according to oddsmakers, the Vikings have a good shot at landing Aaron Rodgers, to the chagrin of many in Minnesota. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Vikings with the fourth-best odds of landing Rodgers at +400, an implied probability of 20%.
The top-four favorites to land Rodgers have quarterback questions. The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the group with +200 odds, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders (+300), San Francisco 49ers (+350) and Minnesota (+400).
There is quite a gap after that. The Indianapolis Colts (+650), Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans (+850) and New York Giants (+1200) are the next teams favored — all longshots compared to the top four.
Rodgers is considered to be on the move this offseason after the New York Jets fired their head coach and general manager following a 5-12 season.
“Big scoopage: Aaron Rodgers flew back to New Jersey last week to meet with the Jets about his future with the team, only to be told that the team was moving on from him,” Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported on February 9. “That means that he will be a June 1 designation that allows him to sign with any team in the league on March 12, if he decides to continue to play. Given that Aaron made the effort to fly back to discuss his future, all signs point to him continuing to play. It just won’t be for the Jets.”
Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers Share Similar Odds of Signing With Vikings
While Vikings fans may scoff at the idea and likelihood of Rodgers landing in Minnesota, he shares just as good of a chance as Darnold coming back — and it’s slim.
The implied probability of Rodgers landing in Minnesota is 20%.
Meanwhile, Darnold’s odds of running it back with the Vikings were set at +325 by Bet365 — an implied probability of 23.5%. Minnesota has the third-highest odds to be Darnold’s next team behind the Las Vegas Raiders at +200 and the Pittsburgh Steelers at +250.
Whether you view Rodgers’ odds of landing in Minnesota as blasphemous or realistic, the same must be said about Darnold, according to oddsmakers.
Regardless, McCarthy appears to be the favorite to start Week 1 for the Vikings with about a month before free agency.
The Rodgers-Favre Prophecy Gains Steam
The Rodgers-to-Minnesota is a well-tread fan theory that has gained steam with the latest development in Rodgers’ career. The two-time MVP quarterback cannot seem to get out of the shadow of his predecessor, Brett Favre.
Rodgers landing with the Vikings could lead to a bonfire or purple jerseys in Minnesota.
However, the same argument was made when Favre arrived in 2009 — and fans shortly forgot about their gripes with the former Green Bay Packers quarterback.
Favre won his first six starts in Minnesota and led the Vikings to a 12-4 season and NFC Championship.
Rodgers has the potential to do the same at his next destination, but whether that’s Minnesota is debatable. The surly 41-year-old quarterback has shown to be stubborn and ran the show into the ground in New York.
In Minnesota, arguably the best destination for Rodgers, he would have to play within Kevin O’Connell‘s system.
