At 4-6, The Vikings May Regret Not Spending on The Poster Boy for NFL Controversy
On Monday, Kevin O’Connell spent ample time publicly discussing how J.J. McCarthy’s technique needs to improve to become more accurate. If that’s true — there’s good reason to believe that it is — then one wonders about rolling with the 22-year-old in the first place.
The Vikings attacked the arm issue during the offseason, noting that McCarthy had talent but needed to refine his abilities as a passer. Accordingly, a placeholder quarterback could have made sense given that Minnesota’s roster is ready to win now. Pursuing that avenue wouldn’t have been giving up on McCarthy but, rather, allowing him to grow in practice while a more established veteran started. Being more specific means circling back to the Aaron Rodgers possibility, wondering aloud if there’s internal regret about rejecting him.
Do The Vikings Regret Saying No to Aaron Rodgers?
On a team-building level, handing over meaty money to Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones didn’t make a pile of sense.
For a three-year deal coming in at more than $100 million, Darnold was reasonably expensive. Matching (or surpassing) that amount didn’t make a ton of sense since there’s a lot of talent demanding considerable contracts. Meanwhile, Jones only landed a single-season deal, but the Vikings were rebuffed in their effort to keep him around. How much money would have needed to land on the negotiating table to keep Jones from becoming a Colt? Apparently, the answer is too much.
But then there was Aaron Rodgers, the uniquely-annoying passer who will someday be in the Hall of Fame.
Much ink was spilled connecting the purple dots that hardly needed connecting. Like Brett Favre, Rodgers put together a stellar career in Green Bay before failing to elevate the dumpster fire that goes by the name “New York Jets.” Favre then had a remarkable single-season run with the Vikings (most want to forget his second season in the Twin Cities), falling painfully short of the Super Bowl.
The Vikings have publicly acknowledge that Rodgers conversations happened. O’Connell knows Rodgers; the pair are friends and share mutual respect. Combined, they could have been capable of pushing Minnesota toward wins (even if weekly pressers with Rodgers would have quickly become insufferable).
The common understanding is that Rodgers pitched Minnesota on a one-year relationship. Pay the passer below market value while trying to do something fun in 2025. The Vikings could then see McCarthy build his body, growing stronger, while perfecting his ability to vary his throws. Quite possibly, McCarthy could even learn a thing or two from Rodgers, someone who left behind a competent Jordan Love in Wisconsin.
In 2025, Aaron Rodgers is sitting on a 6-4 record with a Steelers team that’s not as talented as the Vikings. He has completed 66.4% of his passes for 1,969 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Not elite, but strong enough.
His passer rating comes in at 97.7, a respectable number that falls short of previous brilliance. Meanwhile, McCarthy is down at 61.7, in no small part due to his benchable completion rate that comes in at a stunningly awful 52.9%.
On PFF, Rodgers has a substandard 61.3 grade, an assessment that’s getting dragged down by a 40.9 rushing grade (his wheels aren’t what they once were). McCarthy is sitting on a 54.6 grade, an assessment that’s getting boosted by a 62.1 rushing grade.
Back in the spring, I believed that the Vikings would be making a mistake by adding Rodgers. Roll with the young fella, saving precious cap space in the process. Fast forward several months and it’s difficult to hold the same position, especially since the historically-great Justin Jefferson is seeing his age-26 year burned up in the name of quarterback development…that may not work.
Aaron Rodgers will turn 42 in December. He’s playing for $13,650,000 on a single-season contract (Over the Cap). The Vikings are presently sitting on north of $14.6 million in open cap room.
