Though the Vikings haven’t expressly told J.J. McCarthy he’s their 2025 starter, it’s clear the team is content turning the offense over to him after it left Sam Darnold walk in free agency and no veteran has been brought in to compete with McCarthy in camp.
“Right now, given all of our scenario planning, we're happy with our room and obviously we're going to talk a lot about J.J. McCarthy,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah recently stated.
“But Brett Rypien, who's someone we brought in last offseason and we thought made a lot of great decisions, quick decision making, processing, and better athlete than people give him credit for, accurate passer, so we're excited about him. And we're always going to keep looking to see if we can upgrade that position, just like every other position.”
Many believe that Rodgers will ultimately sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers—he visited the team’s facility and spoke extensively with general manager Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith last week—but some seem convinced he’s dragging his feet in signing because he’s hoping Minnesota has a change of heart.
And while the Vikings don’t appear interested in Rodgers, they at least explored the possibility of bringing him in, as confirmed by Adofo-Mensah, who recently revealed how far negotiations went with the four-time MVP.
“I think we got to a place where we just said, everybody was transparent, but right now we feel good about where we're going, and that's really how it ended,” Adofo-Mensah said. “It's ultimately up to him, it's hard to talk about a player who's not under contract for our team and who isn't a member of this team. It's ultimately up to him what he decides to do with his future, but that's kind of where we left it.
“I know (head coach) Kevin (O'Connell) and him have a great relationship still, they'll still have a relationship and keep talking, but right now I'm focused on the two players that are in our room right now and my personnel process going forward.”
With the New York Giants signing both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in the last week, they’re likely out of the Rodgers sweepstakes, leaving the Steelers as seemingly his only feasible option.
However, FS1’s Colin Cowherd believes Rodgers could be slow-playing his decision because he’s also waiting to see how contract negotiations play out between the San Francisco 49ers and Brock Purdy.
Cowherd suggested if the 49ers don’t want to pay Purdy the $55 million-per-year salary many expect him to command, they could trade him for a package of draft picks and sign Rodgers to a short-term deal.
