PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Minnesota Vikings‘ conversations with free agent Aaron Rodgers this month did not reflect any concerns the team has about second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday.
In his first comments on the matter, O’Connell said “two things can be true at the same time.” On one hand, he said, the team believes McCarthy — the No. 10 pick of the 2024 draft — is its quarterback of the future and very likely its present. On the other hand, Rodgers’ pedigree and interest in signing with the Vikings demanded a full internal discussion.
“We took [McCarthy] 10th in the draft last year after a very extensive evaluation process,” O’Connell said at the NFL’s annual league meeting. “A lot of things that we hoped to see from him, we saw in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, he got injured and we tried to maximize as much as we could with his ‘redshirt’ year. … And I think J.J. was able to take some things out of that and be ready to go for the spring.”
McCarthy, who has recovered from a torn meniscus in his right knee, became the first quarterback selected in the first round in the NFL’s modern draft era to miss his entire rookie season because of injury.
O’Connell said he kept McCarthy abreast of the Rodgers discussions “borderline in real time” to make sure he understood why they were happening.
“The second part that can be true,” O’Connell said, “is 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.”
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said last week that installing McCarthy as the team’s Week 1 quarterback is “the outcome we want” and “the outcome we’re headed towards.”
The Vikings haven’t acquired a veteran backup quarterback, and Adofo-Mensah said he couldn’t rule out the possibility of revisiting the Rodgers discussion later this year if circumstances change.
And, indeed, O’Connell wasn’t ready to name McCarthy his starter Monday. When asked about the likelihood McCarthy will emerge from training camp as QB1, O’Connell made it clear that McCarthy will need to earn the job.
“I feel really, really positive about the path we’re going to take with J.J. from a development standpoint, from an acceleration of reps,” O’Connell said. “And he’s going to benefit from an offseason worth of reps from the offseason program to obviously training camp and being in a competitive situation when our quarterback room is all finalized.
“… I think it’s a responsibility for me as the playcaller to make sure I’m building rapport in addition to demanding a standard of the position from a very early time here with J.J. that I think he’s going to meet, and challenge himself to meet, on a daily basis. Very much excited to see him do that.”
Meanwhile, Vikings owner Mark Wilf said the team is working on a contract extension for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whose deal expires after the 2026 draft.
“We’ve had very, very positive conversations,” Wilf said, “and that’s something we’re going to continue to work towards this offseason.”
The team extended O’Connell’s contract in January, leaving an unusual situation as Adofo-Mensah managed an offseason that included a $300 million free agent shopping spree.
“Each situation is unique, and I wouldn’t read anything into it,” Wilf said about the time gap following O’Connell’s agreement.
