Like a Cat with Nine Lives, Vikings Rumor Refuses to Die
The online onslaught has been pretty relentless with the Vikings rumor; accordingly, the fine folks who call Minnesota home have been suffering through some uncertainty.
Aaron Rodgers could become the Vikings’ next quarterback. In fact, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini was sure to provide an update about the possibility earlier in the evening: “Vikings decision-makers are still evaluating their options at quarterback, including the possibility of signing Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP is intrigued by the idea of playing in Minnesota. For now, it’s a waiting game, sources tell @mikesilver and me.”
Aaron Rodgers & The Vikings Rumor that Won’t Die
Russini is a plugged-in, reliable NFL insider, so her word should be taken seriously.
Adding further weight to her report is that Albert Breer offered an update of his own: “Minnesota is still discussing where they go at quarterback, in adding to JJ McCarthy in the room. The Vikings made an offer to Daniel Jones that was very competitive with Indy’s. And obviously if they decide to pursue Aaron Rodgers, they’d have a great situation to offer him.”
At this rate, there’s still quite a bit of uncertainty. Here’s what’s known, though:
- The Vikings have a 22-year-old passer in J.J. McCarhy whom they believe will become the next franchise quarterback.
- While optimism is high, McCarthy lost all of his rookie season apart from a single preseason game when he received part of the work under center.
- Minnesota’s leadership wants to add an experienced quarterback to push McCarthy, mentor McCarthy, and fill-in for McCarthy if there ends up being another injury (fingers crossed for the kid to have great health moving forward).
- Aaron Rodgers very likely wants to come to Minnesota. Otherwise, the rumors wouldn’t be so abundant.
Go ahead and look again at that final point. Rodgers, in all likelihood, wants to become a Viking. Doing so would mean having a legit shot to compete for the Super Bowl. The cherry on top is being able to do battle with the Packers twice a season (and maybe even a third time if both squads get to the final tournament).
If you’re looking for further information about what’s been taking place between Rodgers and Minnesota, consider Example A, Example B, and Example C.
Coming into free agency, the Vikings had five quarterbacks within their orbit. Sam Darnold landed a major deal to become a Seahawk; Daniel Jones got a hearty contract to compete for the top spot with the Colts; Nick Mullens is going down to Jackonville to support the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence.
All of the sudden, things are bit skimpy at the game’s most important position.
The only quarterback on the roster other than McCarthy is Brett Rypien. Rypien, 28, has a 58.3% completion rate for his career to stand alongside 4 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He has been in the NFL since 2019, so he’s not an option to be a starter.
J.J. McCarthy was born in 2003. In 2005, Aaron Rodgers got drafted in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft.
Stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.