J.J.

McCarthy

O’Connell praised McCarthy for becoming a locker room leader and “energizer” despite McCarthy’s being sidelined by a torn meniscus for the 2024 NFL season. O’Connell noted McCarthy’s valuable participation in game preparation last year while highlighting the intriguing traits McCarthy flashed in the preseason. O’Connell emphasized McCarthy’s “ability to throw the ball in windows over the middle of the field” and his “historical” efficiency in converting on third down with seven-plus yards to go. Both factors will serve him well in fantasy football.

With her opening remarks, Russini succinctly stated that “it could happen.” Russini then outlined a hypothetical scenario in which Rodgers “hangs out, and the Minnesota Vikings pick up the phone” and ask him to join a quarterback competition. Internally, the Vikings have apparently maintained the view that “it would be a competition [for the starting quarterback job] this summer.” Russini also adds that “there is also a world where J.J. McCarthy shows up to OTAs and looks as sharp, and confident, and [as] ready to go as he saw him in training camp last year,” which, we are left to infer, would negate the need for a competitive veteran.

Adofo-Mensah said the Vikings considered Aaron Rodgers before telling reporters he was happy with the team’s quarterback room. He, of course, added the “right now” caveat, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team add a veteran to the mix at some point. Minnesota only has Brett Rypien on the roster after J.J. McCarthy. On the second-year quarterback, Adofo-Mensah said McCarthy has met the bar “at every checkpoint, whether it was the draft process or practice until the injury, or the offseason now.” It’s not the most enthusiastic endorsement, but leaving free agency without a notable backup is a more emphatic endorsement than anything Adofo-Mensah could have said on the podium. McCarthy is currently recovering from the torn meniscus he suffered just before the start of the season. All signs point to him being ready to take on the starting role in Week 1.

McCarthy told Kay Adams on Monday that Minnesota coaches had not named him the starter after the team said last week it would not pursue Aaron Rodgers “at this time.” Coming off a knee injury that cost him his entire rookie campaign, McCarthy appears to be the favorite for the team’s Week 1 starting job. His recovery and performance in training camp could complicate things, however. NFL Network reported last week that the Vikings had rejected trade calls for McCarthy this offseason. McCarthy would certainly be set up for success in Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback-friendly system: The pass-catching trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson is one of the best in the league.

McCarthy, after missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury, “enters the offseason” as Minnesota’s QB1, per Pelissero, adding that the Vikings are not pursuing Aaron Rodgers “at this time.” The Vikings are widely expected to add a veteran quarterback in the coming weeks, though Rodgers seems to be out of the equation as the Giants and Steelers pursue the 41-year-old two years removed from an Achilles rupture. McCarthy would certainly be set up for success in Kevin O’Connell’s QB-friendly system: The pass-catching trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson represent one of the best in the league. In his lone 2024 preseason appearance, McCarthy completed 11 of 17 attempts for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. If the Vikings are truly out on Rodgers, his options have narrowed considerably.

Minnesota is reportedly engaged in “serious discussions” about signing Rodgers, 41, after parting ways with Sam Darnold. The Vikings, Vacchiano said, are “one of the best teams in the NFC, and they’re bringing back most of their top players. You don’t just turn a team like that over to an untested rookie quarterback (J.J. McCarthy) when you’ve got a shot at a future Hall of Famer. You take your shot at a championship when it’s there.” Vacchiano said Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell — a so-called QB whisperer — will “find a way to adjust his system to fit Rodgers’ skills.” This would mark a departure from Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets, where he appointed his own offensive coordinator and ran his own offense. Rodgers in 2024 ranked 24th out of 39 qualifying quarterbacks in drop back success rate.

Jones is reportedly holding up the quarterback market as he vacillates between staying in Minnesota or signing with the Colts and competing with fledgling QB Anthony Richardson for the team’s Week 1 starting job. NFL Network has reported the Vikings are intent on bringing back Jones after he played for the team over the second half of the 2024 season, learning the offense and functioning as Sam Darnold’s backup. It remains to be seen whether Jones would have a chance to compete with JJ McCarthy for the Minnesota starting job if he remains with the Vikings. Since the start of the 2022 season, Jones ranks 25th out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per drop back.

McCarthy missed the entire 2024 season with a torn meniscus that required two surgeries with the second one coming in November. The 22-year-old former National Champion at the University of Michigan resumed training in January and is expected to be ready for spring practice. While the reports on McCarthy’s progress have been positive and the team is poised to let last year’s starter Sam Darnold to walk in free agency, expect the Vikings to bring in another veteran backup to pair with McCarthy.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell seemed confident at the NFL Combine that McCarthy would be able to participate in the team’s offseason workouts after missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury. McCarthy resumed on-field training in mid-January and has continued making progress after undergoing two knee surgeries — the second one to address major swelling that had developed. McCarthy could step into Minnesota’s starting role if the team parts ways with 2024 starter Sam Darnold this offseason. The Vikings are reportedly considering using the franchise tag to keep Darnold for one more season. “Sam is in a position where the NFL thinks he can play football at a very high level,” O’Connell said. “We’ll see where it goes.”

Seifert says that this doesn’t mean that Minnesota has ruled out placing the franchise tag on Darnold, and that they also haven’t ruled out signing him to a multi-year deal. The Vikings could pull off a tag-and-trade with Darnold if a potential destination he’s interested in wants to jump the market. This will be a situation to monitor over the coming weeks, as it sounds like the Vikings will try to gather as much intelligence as they can before making the decision on the March 4 franchise tag deadline.