The Minnesota Vikings believe in J.J. McCarthy. Despite meeting with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the offseason, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday that he feels “very good” about McCarthy’s ability moving forward.
The Vikings’ interest in Rodgers could have been seen as an indictment of McCarthy, but that’s not the case. O’Connell told ESPN “two things can be true at the same time,” when discussing the issue Monday.
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What did he mean by that? O’Connell made the case that the team can both believe in McCarthy and have a dialogue with one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. The latter doesn’t invalidate the former.
“Aaron Rodgers is a four-time NFL MVP and somebody who, not just myself, but we’ve all had so much respect for competing against him. And he happened to be at a point in time in his career where he was free to have some real dialogue about what his future may look like. And we happened to be one of those teams that he reached out to. And I have had a personal relationship with him going back since my playing days.
“… But I do feel very strongly about where [McCarthy is] at right now. And based upon the information we have from the evaluation process, the time we had with him, I feel very good about projecting a really positive year for J.J. And now we’ve got to go to work and do it.”
O’Connell and Rodgers developed a relationship during the coach’s playing days and have remained friendly since then. Rodgers apparently reached out to the Vikings about his NFL future, and O’Connell felt it was smart to chat with the former All-Pro quarterback.
The Vikings have apparently moved on since then, though the team is being a little cagey about whether McCarthy will be the starter next season. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Wednesday he wants McCarthy to win the job and views the quarterback as a starter in the NFL, but Adofo-Mensah also stressed the importance of having a strong quarterback room.
O’Connell refused to name McCarthy as the team’s starter Monday, and indicated he would have to compete for the job. McCarthy has taken that messaging in stride all offseason, saying he’s “trying to earn” the role.
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While the Vikings could revisit the Rodgers conversation down the road, many expect the team to bring in some type of veteran quarterback ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Having an experienced signal caller on the depth chart would provide some competition for McCarthy and give the team a stronger, more knowledgable quarterback room.
McCarthy is unproven at the NFL level, but he was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and received strong reviews in offseason minicamps before undergoing knee surgery in August.
The Vikings will almost certainly bring in another quarterback who can push McCarthy, but it doesn’t sounds like it will be someone with Rodgers’ pedigree.
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