The Minnesota Vikings are currently anticipated to head into the 2025 NFL season with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy as their starter. While he’s a tremendously gifted player, he has not seen a single regular season snap and he missed his whole rookie year due to a knee injury. McCarthy may be able to handle the starting role.
He may be able to pick up where Sam Darnold left off last season. However, that is a significant gamble to take for a squad that was on the edge of Super Bowl contention. Early in the NFL offseason, Aaron Rodgers was strongly linked to the Vikings.
Although the Minnesota Vikings have made several exciting roster moves in recent weeks, much of their offseason chatter has centered around rumors involving former Packers and Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers finally broke his silence since the end of the 2024 NFL season with an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
During the interview, he addressed the speculation about him possibly eyeing a future with the Vikings.
“I saw something about me pitching the idea of joining the Vikings — that’s not true,” Rodgers said. “I know Ben Roethlisberger mentioned something about me waiting for the Vikings, but that’s not accurate either.
There are probably a lot of opinions out there from Packers fans, and maybe even some Vikings fans, about all this.
I’ve known Kevin [O’Connell] for a long time — since we used to train at Fitness Quest 10 in North County San Diego. That goes back 17 or 18 years. We’ve built a solid friendship and stay in touch throughout the year, not just this offseason. We’ve had good conversations.”
Rodgers made it clear he’s not actively pushing to join Minnesota in 2025 — or at least, he’s trying to make it seem that way.
Anyone familiar with Rodgers shouldn’t be shocked by his comments. He rarely confirms rumors and often maintains an image of being in full control of his decisions.
Even if he is quietly hoping for a shot with the Vikings next season, he’s unlikely to admit it publicly — his pride likely won’t allow that.
Looking ahead, the ideal scenario for Minnesota is that J.J. McCarthy shines during OTAs and mini-camp over the coming weeks, leaving no doubt that he’ll be the team’s starting quarterback next season.
If that doesn’t happen, though, the rumors linking Rodgers to the Vikings are likely to persist.