Can JJ McCarthy do it all by himself? The Vikings are coming off 14 wins, and Sam Darnold did it all by himself in the QB slot. So, now that Sam is no longer here, can the Vikings bet on JJ McCarthy? Earlier, the word was that Minnesota would draft a veteran QB to be there with McCarthy. But the problem here is that not many options are available in the market now.
There is Aaron Rodgers and there is Russell Wilson. As per reports, Rodgers wants to give it a shot with the Vikings, but the team does not want him. And Russ does not seem interested in joining the Vikings. So, does that mean the team will enter the 2025 season with only JJ McCarthy as the reliable face in their QB room? The thing is, when you are a 14-win team, you know you have a great shot at the championship. All you need is to tighten up those loose ends. JJ had a strong start to training camp in his rookie year. But currently he is recovering from his meniscus surgery. Once he does, will he be strong enough to add wins to the column if he gets put out there? If the Vikings do not want to take that risk, they better get a backup QB.
That is the philosophy Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings front office had in mind going into this offseason. The Vikings locker room would want that too. Their roster doesn’t want to develop a QB at the cost of losing a season. SI reporter Albert Breer puts it nicely, “Looking at where JJ McCarthy is and what he’s gone through over the last year…we need insurance against JJ McCarthy.” When you have veterans like Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel in the locker room, you need to get some backup so the season doesn’t hinge on one single pin.
Image credits: Social Media, Instagram, @jjmccarthy
Because you are not a team that is still developing, but a team that wants to lift the Lombardi. The Vikings roster has Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, and Jordan Addison down the line. This is the roster that pulled off 14 wins. What Minnesota needs to do is give this roster the best possible situation at QB. “Regardless of how highly we might think of JJ McCarthy or where we think 2025 might take him, we still need to get some insurance in the building.“
The important question here is, who could be that backup QB now that Aaron Rodgers is off the list?
No room for Aaron Rodgers in Minnesota
Not many franchises would want to sign Aaron Rodgers unless they are desperate or have no choice left. Why would any team take a risk with a QB who is coming off injuries and is already 41? And even if that’s not the problem, no one wants the drama that comes with Rodgers. The former Packers star’s infamous reputation is no longer a secret to anyone. Aaron has been constantly criticized for throwing his teammates under the bus publicly for losing games. Not to mention the QB carrying his bag of grievances to Pat McAfee every week. Now, Kevin O’Connell is the kind of coach who would not want that for his team.
And Minnesota has one huge reason not to sign Rodgers. That is, if Aaron comes on board, he will surely be a roadblock in JJ McCarthy’s development. From Mike Florio to Rodgers’ former teammate James Jones, everybody believes that signing him will slow down JJ McCarthy’s progress. Florio even believes that if Minnesota signs the veteran QB to a two-year deal, JJ McCarthy would want out. “If they do a two-year deal with Rodgers, fully guaranteed, McCarthy’s going to want to be traded.” Even Jets WR Garrett Wilson was reportedly going to ask for a trade if the team had chosen to stay with Aaron this season.
So, all reports out there suggest that the Vikings will do anything but sign A-Rod as their QB. So, what is the Vikings’ plan then? NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports, “Minnesota still plans to add a veteran backup to push and mentor McCarthy. They wanted Daniel Jones back, but he saw a better opportunity to start in Indianapolis. But make no mistake, the Vikings will bring in another QB. As I’ve discussed before, it just won’t be Rodgers at this time.“
Well, the Vikings’ QB mystery, for now, seems to remain unsolved. There are even chances that they might draft a backup in free agency and will most likely go with McCarthy as the starting QB.
The post Vikings Locker Room Forcing Kevin O’Connell’s Search for Backup QB as Reports Crush Aaron Rodgers Move to Minnesota appeared first on EssentiallySports.
